


Miasma

by Lintilla



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alien Mythology/Religion, Atlas CEO Rhys, Corporate Espionage, Crimson Lance, Eridians, Eventual Romance, Jealous Jack, Jealousy, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Post-Canon, Pre-Borderlands 3, Redemption, Siren Rhys, Sort Of, Suicidal Thoughts, Vault Hunter, Villains to Heroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-03-01 08:33:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18796756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lintilla/pseuds/Lintilla
Summary: Rhys, now CEO of Atlas, creates a new body to download Jack's AI into. Jack is not sure what to make of his rescuer and the new Pandora he wakes up to.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, been quite a few years since I've written anything. I'm excited to see this through and I really hope all of you enjoy it. I've been playing Borderlands since the first game came out 10 years ago. Just recently finally played TFTBL and the Rhack ship caught me. If you are reading this after September 2019, this is all written before Borderlands 3 came out.

At first there is darkness. Slowly light begins to fill his vision. The shine is near blinding and he can only make out a basic shape of a face. Someone is speaking to him but he cannot distinguish the words. The muffled voice becomes clearer as it speaks.

“...Jack...hear me...Jack...”

Jack's voice, hoarse and unused spits out a wretched, “Lights.”

The person above him must understand because the lights dim and colors begin to focus.

“Jack, can you hear my voice?” the person inquires.

Jack swallows deeply and answers, “Yeah, where am I?”  
“You're on Pandora.”

Jack groans. He can't remember much of anything but he instinctively knows Pandora is not the place he wants to be.

“Jack, can you focus your eyes? How many fingers am I holding up?”

With a task assigned, Jack tries to concentrate on his vision. The blurred shapes in front of him form a body with a hand raised out.

“One . . . two . . . three. Three fingers there, chief,” Jack finally manages.

“Good. That's good,” the voice says with a sigh of relief. “You had me worried.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Jack asks with no real venom as the woman's, no man's face becomes clearer.

“You don't remember me,” The man says as bland statement and not a question. “What do you remember?”

Jack closes his eyes and tries desperately to remember anything. _Please, I'm on my knees here_. Begging, Jack had been begging. Without really knowing anything about this situation, he knows he isn't going to put _that_ information out there. “I . . . I was dying.”

“That's right, Jack. You were dying. Do you remember who was killing you?”

Jack focuses harder and remembers he was begging a man, no a boy, wait no, it was a man, just a slim one. He had one arm and was holding a shard of glass at Jack's throat. Wait no, its wasn't at Jack's throat it was at his own eye. The man was prying his own eye out of his head but it was the same as plunging it into Jack's heart. With one more push, the eye was out and there was nothing but darkness. The man had killed him.

Jack opens his eyes and the same young man is above him. Anger surges through his body and his hand shoots out to grab the man by his throat. The man yelps but doesn't fight as Jack pulls him in close.

“You did it! You killed me, you little weasel!” Jack tightens his grip. “I begged for life and you ripped it away.”

The man doesn't struggle, doesn't claw, but chokes out, “Who am I?”

“You're nobody . . . you're some stupid kid . . . you're R-on, no R-r-emy, no . . . RHYS!” Jack shouts and lets the man go. Rhys falls to the floor gasping for air as Jack tries to process the flood of memories flying in.

“I tried to kill you with your own hand,” Jack says as the memory hit him. “I wasn't real. I had no body. You wouldn't let me have yours so I tried to kill you.”

Rhys stays seated on the floor as he gingerly rubs his abused throat. He nods and agrees, “Yes, you did.”

Jack slumps down next to Rhys as the memories of living in Rhys' head, plotting to kill him,the vault, Athena, Pandora, Rhys crashing Helios, and Rhys ripping out his cybernetics as hit him at once. Angel . . . _Dad, you're an asshole_.

“Why do I have a body _now_?” Jack asks after a long few minutes of silence.

Rhys struggles to his feet and then turns, offering his hand to Jack, “I made you one.”

Jack stares blankly at Rhys until he finally asks the obvious, “Why? I tried to kill you … several times.”

Rhys shrugs, actually _shrugs_ in response with a bland, “I wanted to see if I could.”

“You're stupider than I remember,” Jack says as he shakes his head, gaze venturing around the room to take in his new surroundings. “Where are we anyway? I know you said Pandora, but where?”

Rhys walks over to the desk in the center of the room and leans against the top. The room is large with a high industrial ceiling but littered with computer terminals, shelves of equipment, paperwork, and guns parts. There are also scores of coffee cups, empty plates, and a small sleeping cot in the corner.

“This is my office, well my private office. No self respecting CEO would hold meetings in a room like this. To further answer your question, we are in Old Haven.”

“Old Haven, how long was I d. . . gone for?”

“5 years.”

Jack runs his hand through his hair as breath leaves his body. 5 years. He'd missed 5 years. It was then he notices the absence of a mask on his face. He feels around further and finds there is no scar either. Rhys must have noticed him feeling for it, so he points and says, “Mirror's behind you.”

Jack turns around and sure enough there is a hand washing sink with a rectangular mirror above it. His face, while looking younger than he remembered, is definitely his own. He is wearing a short sleeved white t-shirt and gray sweat pants. He remembers the birthmark he had on his right hip and desires yet dreads to look for it all at the same time. He pulls down the band of the sweat pants to check but there are no marks, scars, or blemishes at all.

“This is not my body,” Jack states to Rhys.

“It is now,” Rhys replies still leaning on his desk soft tracing his flesh hand on the red marks left around his neck. “The old one is long gone. I crafted this one using a mix of cybernetics, digistructing, and the newest biotechnology. How's it feel?”

“Feel? Compared to what? Kiddo, it's a body not a frickin' car. I don't know how it _feels_ ,” Jack hisses.

“I'd like to perform some motor skills tests, you know, check your reflexes, tissue sensitivity, that sort of thing,” Rhys says as he pushes off his desk and walks back over to the exam table Jack had first woke up upon. He pats the table and says, “Come sit here.”

“Oh no,” Jack says backing away. “I'm not some experiment, you psycho. I get it, I tried to kill you, but that does not mean you get to drag me back and torture me as your little _project_.”

Rhys raises a hand in defense, “No, not at all. Once I know everything is functioning properly, I will make arrangements for you to be safely transported wherever you want to go.”

“I don't buy it,” Jack pauses for a moment and shakes his head in disbelief. He then begins looking for the door. “Nobody just puts someone in a body and sends them on their merry way. Especially not when that person has an ax to grind. I'm leaving. Now!”

Jack begins frantically searching the walls and begins to realize there is no visible door. Rhys, looking rather exhausted begins to placate, “Jack, calm down. Let me explain . . .”

Jack cuts him off, “Nothing to explain, just let me out and I'll be on my way.”

More frantic than before, Jack is hitting shelves, pushing buttons until his right leg gives out under him. He crumples to the floor as his leg convulses.

Rhys watching the scene calmly, sighs and mumbles more to himself, “It's always the right leg first.”

Jack finally stops his rage induced panic long enough to take a long look at Rhys. The young man looks much older than a mere 5 years. In a word, he looks: exhausted. Jack suddenly realizes, Rhys has done this before.

“How many times have you woken me up?” Jack asks as he sits on the floor trying to rub any sort of feeling into his leg.

“This makes a bakers dozen but this is the first time you remembered my name and what happened on Helios,” Rhys replies. “That's progress at least.”

Just as Jack begins to get feeling back in his toes, he remembers something, “Did you say you're CEO? They actually made a little dweeb like you CEO of Hyperion?”

Rhys sniffs indignantly and replies, “No, this _little dweeb_ is CEO of Atlas. Hyperion just declared bankruptcy last month. After the destruction of Helios, I muscled them out of the major border planets and they couldn't keep up. Plus I stole most of their employees by providing better pay and safer working conditions. It's amazing how much people appreciate not being murdered at work.”

Jack tries to get back to his feet but falls over again, “Son of a taint!”

Rhys strolls over to him and kneels down to examine Jack's leg, “May I?” He asks with a raised eyebrow. Jack gives up trying to struggle and lays on his back on the floor. He can feel Rhys roll up his pant leg and begin probing at nerve points.

“So what'd you do, go into my crashed office and steal the Atlas deed?” Jack asks as he stares at the ceiling.

“Pretty much. After opening the Vault, I had enough capital to-”

“Whoa! Open the Vault?” Jack exclaims as he sits up. “You actually managed to open the fault?”  
“Yep,” Rhys replies absently as he continues to prod and examine with his echoeye. “Wasn't easy but we got there.”

“What was inside?”

Before Rhys can answer, Jack yowls in pain as full feeling suddenly returns to his limb. Jack jumps to his feet and thrashes about fighting the urge to strangle Rhys again. Pacing awkwardly back and forth in front of Rhys, Jack places his fingers on the bridge of his nose, “Ok pumpkin, go over this slowly and carefully so I can get it straight and I might decide to let you live.”

“How generous,” Rhys muses. “So, I crashed Helios and you tried to kill me.”

“Yeah, that may have been a rash choice. Keep going, Kiddo.”

“I ripped off my arm and then you threatened to find another way to kill me.”

“I was in an angry place,” Jack says defensively.

“Riiiight, so I ripped out my echoeye that you were embedded in. I kept it, I could've crushed it, but I kept it.”

“Don't think I'm about to grovel at your feet for that, but,” Jack pauses and rubs the back of his neck. Speaking in a quiet voice he asks, “Why didn't you?”

“Why didn't I what?”

“Ugh, you're just as thick as I remember. Why didn't you crush the echo-eye? Why'd you keep me around?”

Rhys shrugs, “I don't know, honestly. I just remember the way you were at the end and I thought maybe I could, I don't know, _help_ you down the line.”

Jack stops his pacing and stares intently at Rhys. No one, at least no one that ever worked for Hyperion, is purely altruistic. The kid had to have some reason he saved Jack. Rhys hasn't said but Jack knows: he's Rhys' prisoner. Once he can figure why Rhys built him a body, Jack can find a way to get out in one piece. Just like the first time he me the kid, brute force is not an option.

Jack takes that time to fully examine Rhys. As he had noticed earlier, Rhys looks older and tired as if he had the world weighing down on him. The bumbling kid on his great Pandoran adventure is long gone. This is a man saddled with responsibility. Jack had seen that look in the mirror for many years.

His yellow Hyperion cybernetic arm is replaced with a sleek red arm. His hair is a little longer but still slicked back from his face. He's wearing slim black pants, a rumpled button down shirt open enough to hint at a blue chest tattoo peeking out, and a black vest with an Atlas logo. A red tie is lying discarded on one of the workbenches.

Jack chuckles, “Do you still tuck that thing into your pants?”

Rhys looks up, confused, “What?!”

“The tie, dummy,” Jack notices that same boyish blush rise on Rhys' cheeks, relieved that there's still something left of the man he knew. “You do know, tucking your tie into your pants was never fashionable, right?”

Flustered, Rhys grabs the tie and stuffs it into his back pocket, “Yeah, well, everyone makes questionable fashion choices when they're young.”

“Ha, what're you, like 30?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok princess, you are _still_ young,” Jack laughs. “Keep going with the story. You kept me in your pocket for some weird reason. Then what? You just stroll out, open the vault, and resurrect a dead company?”

“Bit more complicated. We didn't open the vault until a few months later. A bunch of the Helios survivors were camping out on Pandora. With the money from the vault, they started as the initial work force that helped me really get the Old Haven facility back up and running. Within a year, we had expanded to headquarters on Promethea and in another six months, Eden-4. At the three year mark, we had surpassed Tediore, Torque, Dahl, and Vladoff in weapons sales on the border planets. By year four, we had surpassed Hyperion and six months ago we surpassed Maliwan.”

Jack's eyebrows raise, “Well credit where credit is due, Kiddo, that is quite the accomplishment. Ah hell, that deserves a slow clap.” Jack begins his slow clap and then stops, “Ok that sounded way more sarcastic than I intended. I am actually impressed.”

Rhys raises a skeptical eyebrow but doesn't question it.

“So to celebrate your success you decide to fish the old echoeye out and build yourself a . . . vice president?”

“No.”

“A personal assistant?”

“No.”

“Ugh, sex slave then,” Jack sighs and begins taking off his shirt. “Honestly, I'm not surprised. I always knew you were into me. These are kind of extreme lengths but hey, I've met creepier CEO's. Where do you want to do this?”

Jack pushes on the exam table to test it's strength. Both of Rhys' hands fly up, “Whoa! No, not that. Put your – put your shirt back on.”

Jack can't help a smirk at Rhys' flushed face. The man was so much fun to tease.

“I meant what I said. You are not beholden to me. Once I am certain your body is going to support you and your mind will stay . . . um . . . stable, I will arrange safe transport and however much money you want so you can live comfortably.”

Jack stroked his chin and stared skeptically, “Nah, I don't buy it but I'll play along for the time being.”

“Jack, I've been here,” Rhys says and points to Jack's forehead “for years. I've been going through the individual coding of your AI and I know you don't trust easily, for good reason, but I promise you right here and now, I am not going to hurt you, mistreat you, or keep you captive. I am most certainly not going to use you as a sex slave.”

Rhys blushes and looks down at that. Jack crosses his arms, confused by Rhys' earnest demeanor, but oddly comforted, no not comforted, but certainly less anxious than earlier.

Jack reaches out and places a hand on Rhys' flesh arm, “Shame, that would've been hot.”

Rhys tries to suppress a smile but Jack still catches it. Rhys scurries to a chest and opens it, pulling out a set of clothes and something resembling Jack's old pocket watch.

“Ideally I'd like you stay near me for a couple weeks so I can keep running diagnostics, but I don't want to keep you locked up here,” Rhys hands him the watch. “No one else knows about you -”

“No one?” Jack questions.

“No one. It is important for obvious reasons that it stays like that. The pocket watch will change your appearance and modulate your voice. Many of the employees here are ex-Hyperion, they would recognize you in a heartbeat. So you can stay close to me, I'll tell them you're my intern, um, Kevin.”

Jack raises an eyebrow at the name but takes the watch and attaches it to his shirt. He presses the activation button. Not feeling any different, he walks over to the mirror. What he sees is a shock of red hair, pale skin, and freckles. Honest to god freckles.

“You've gotta be kiddin- ING -” Jack's new voice breaks on the last word.

“Your name is Kevin, you are . . . 19, and a business school student from, I don't know, uh, Hera,” Rhys says as he inspects the facade.

Jack groans, “I thought you said you _weren't_ going to torture me.”

“I need you unrecognizable.”

“Well, mission frickin' accomplished,” Jack says studying his nerdy reflection.

Rhys smirks and walks toward the other end of the room. He pushes a small button to reveal a hand scanner. After scanning his flesh hand, a panel of shelving pulls back to reveal a doorway. Rhys says over his should, “Come on, I'll give you the tour and we'll swing by security to get you your credentials.”

Jack takes a moment to consider his possibilities as he changes into the slacks and button down Rhys gave him. He ultimately decides he can't make a move yet and slips into his new shoes then follows Rhys.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

They emerge from a small hallway into the back corner of a massive room. Jack is surprised. It's nearly the size of his own office on Helios. Once Jack and Rhys are inside, a book shelf slides over the door they just entered through. The bookshelves are the only decorations on the wall, the rest is made of glimmering metal plating and wood panels. A large desk with a deep red leather chair is the only furniture.

Jack lets out a low whistle, “Now this is more like it, Kitten. This is a proper CEO's office. Could do with a statue or fountain but I suppose the bare design exudes a certain ruthlessness. Well done.”

Rhys walks over to the desk and somehow manages to cut an impressive figure standing behind it despite his slim frame. “I only use it for meetings. I spend most of my time in the workroom we just came from.”

“That's smart. Don't let anyone peek behind the curtain. Keep 'em guessing. Too bad there are no windows. A proper leader's office should have big impressive windows with a view no one else can get.”

Rhys presses a button on his desk and panels begin folding away behind him to reveal the entire back of the room as one large glass window displaying a panoramic view of a beautiful green garden. There are large trees, flowers, bushes, and vines covering the landscape. In the distance, Jack can see the outlines of mountains and Elpis is on fully display. A pang of sadness hits him when he notices the absence of the large H outline from Helios.

Rhys notices him staring and says softly, “You know, I loved Helios too. I spent years of my life living and working there. I always dreamed of having an office with a view of Pandora. I wish it would have ended differently.”

“You and me both,” Jack grumbles then brightens, putting on a big friendly smile. “But that's in the past. Tell me about this garden. I don't remember Old Haven having anything close to thriving flora.”

Rhys lights up, “Ah, the wonders of terraforming! Our botany department is doing amazing things with irrigation and cultivation. Revitalizing the desert regions of Pandora has become one our biggest, most profitable projects over the last year.”

Jack notices movement in one of the bushes and can hardly believe it but a stalker goes skittering past.

“Holy shit!” He exclaims and instinctively reaches for the gun at his side that is not there.

“What!?” Rhys looks around.

“There's a stalker out there!”

“Oh,” Rhys breathes out. “Yeah, turns out in the right environment with enough food and stimulation they are quite docile. I call that one Peggy.”

“Peggy, of course, why not. How are you able to even terraform? All the morons in Hyperion's R&D told me it wasn't possible because of the atmosphere and soil composition.”

“They were only examining the planet as it was. To successfully terraform you have to look at what the atmosphere _could_ be and go from there. This planet is full of possibilities no one even dreamed of,” Rhys explains as he gestures widely with his cybernetic arm.

“You sound like a frickin' motivational poster.”

Rhys grins and reaches into a drawer in his desk. He actually produces a worn Hyperion poster with Jack standing proudly with Pandora spreading out behind him. It reads “Pandora: Full of Possibilities Never Before Dreamed.”

Jack meets Rhys' eyes and for once struggles for words.

They are interrupted when the door at the front of the office swooshes open. A short woman in a black pantsuit strolls in carrying a stack of papers and stops short when she sees Rhys. She's an older woman, probably mid 40s and has her dark hair tied up into a messy bun.

“Mr. Rhys! So good to see you. You've been working on your project for weeks,” The woman gushes. She actually seems thrilled to see her boss which Jack cannot remember ever seeing on one of his employee's faces. There is not the barest hint of fear or worry in her expression. “Oh, the commander returned this morning and was looking for you. I'll let him know you've emerged.”

The woman types out a message on her echo device as Rhys walks over to her and takes the reports, “Thank you, Ada. You know if you ever need me, you just have to echo me.”

“Oh, but Mr. Rhys you are so busy with your important projects, I would just hate to interrupt your work.”

Rhys smiles widely as he shuffles through the reports, “Nonsense, I am never too busy to hear from you.”

The woman blushes and when Rhys looks away, she adjusts her jacket and blouse. Rhys gestures toward Jack and says, “This is my new intern, Kevin. He just arrived on planet. Kevin this is my lead personal assistant, Ada.”

Ada turns to look at Jack, having not even noticed him previously and appears taken aback.

“An intern? For you? Mr. Rhys I was not aware that . . . an intern?”

“Yes, he will be shadowing me for the next couple weeks. In fact, we were just on our way to security to get him the necessary credentials.”

“Oh Mr. Rhys you are too generous. I can have one of the other PA's show him around and take care of things. In fact, I know of a number of administration officials that would gladly allow an intern to shadow them since you are so busy,” Ada says as she turns to look Jack up and down. Once she catches his eye she flashes a quick sneer, distorting her otherwise kind matronly features.

“No Ada, I'll be taking care of Kevin's internship. He'll also be occupying the vacant quarters on E wing,” Rhys replies grandly. Ada tries to protest further but Rhys cuts her off, “I am not seeing the report from the Robotics department.”

The distraction works and Ada huffs, “That girl is late with her progress notes again. I will speak to HR and set up a disciplinary-”

“Not necessary. I'll swing by her department later today,” Rhys interrupts. “Thank you, Ada. Would you be so kind as to fetch coffee? I need a good pick me up.”

“Of course, sir. I'll call down to the cafe and have Etienne prepare-”

“No need for that. Whatever you have in the break room is just fine. Two sugars and fetch whatever Kevin wants as well.”

Jack is about to ask for his with cream but Ada gives him one more glare and strides out of the office.

Jack's trigger finger began to itch. It had been a long time since anyone especially some PA had treated Jack that way. Fighting the urge to run after her and strangle out the insolence, Jack turns back to Rhys and plasters on a smile again. “She seems . . . loyal and loyalty is good. You can never know who to trust, though. Always keep an eye open.”

“Ada's great. She was a custodian back on Helios. I accidentally threw out my supervisor's echo device and she helped me fish it out.”

“Your PA is a frickin' janitor?” Jack laughs out.

Rhys crosses his arms and asks, “Is there a problem with that?”

“No, no, not at all. Just surprising,” Jack backpedals. “It's good that you . . . see potential . . . in your staff.”

“Jack, things are a bit different here than they were at Hyperion. Everyone's lives changed drastically after Helios crashed, but we're making the best of it. I'd like to think that if things were different, you may have run Hyperion more like this.”

Before Jack can ask what the fuck Rhys means by that, the door opens again but instead of Ada, a large Crimson Lance guard strolls in. He takes off his helmet to display close cropped blond hair, a chiseled jaw, and sparkling blue eyes. Jack thinks he recognizes him.

“Rhys! So good to see you. I have returned at last,” He booms and tosses his helmet onto Rhys' desk.

Rhys cocks his head to the side and answers, “Huh, I didn't know you were gone.”

He dramatically clutches at his chest, “Oh Rhysie, you wound me. I'd say you were crying into your pillow every night if I thought for one instance you actually slept. Really Rhys, you look like shit,” the guard places his hand on Rhys' hip and lowers his voice to add, “Is it that hard to sleep without me?”

Rhys coughs and backs away gesturing toward Jack, “This is my new intern, Kevin. Kevin this is Axton, the commander of the Crimson Lance.”

Axton, former Dahl commando and one of the vault hunter bastards that killed him. Jack is practically shaking with rage. The meathead doesn't notice and instead smiles broadly at Jack, “Hey there kiddo!”

 _Kiddo_ , Jack thinks to himself. _What kind of asshole calls another grown man Kiddo?_

“I didn't see you there. You kinda blend right in. Put her there!” Axton extends his hand. Jack takes it but grips tightly causing Axton to laugh heartily, “Whoa, strong grip there. Someone's been training his right hand.”

Axton winks obnoxiously and Jack grinds his teeth. The door opens and Ada returns with two coffee cups.

“Ada! Light of my life, tell me you have coffee,” Axton proclaims. Ada blushes and hands him one of the cups and walks the other over to Rhys. Axton takes a long gulp and says, “Darling, you are a wonder.”

As she leaves again, she manages to throw one last disparaging look in Jack's direction.

“So, Rhys, the mission on Aquator,” Axton says and takes another gulp. “We've managed to contain the situation and have the rebels in custody.”

“Casualties?” Rhys asks.

“Other than Berkman's sprained ankle, which he will not shut up about, no casualties.”

“Outstanding! Well done, Commander. Have you heard from Zer0?”

Axton preens at Rhys' compliments, “At last check in, he had tracked the target to Elpis.”

“Elpis? He's getting closer,” Rhys frowns.

“Don't worry your pretty head about it,” Axton says, affection clear in his voice. “Zer0 won't let him anywhere near the site.”

Rhys appears lost in thought for a moment but bounces back, “I am going to take Kevin here on a tour of the facilities and get him squared away with security. I'd like a full briefing tomorrow. Ada will schedule you in.”

“It's a date,” Axton says with a wink and picks up his helmet as he leans close to Rhys. “Wear something pretty.”

Rhys blushes but Jack only stares darkly as Axton leaves the office. He doesn't realize how tense he is until Rhys gently touches his back and softly says, “Jack? Are you ok?”

“You hired . . . vault hunters?”

“Yeahhh,” Rhys replies almost apologetically holding the word out. “So you get now why no one can know you're here?”

Jack glowers for another minute but internally recites his plan: be amiable, be obliging, and wait for the right moment. “Rhysie, I am the soul of discretion.”

“Right,” Rhys replies, doubt heavy in his tone. “You ready for the tour?”

Jack scoffs, “I am but you ain't.”

“What's that mean?”

“You are the CEO and you are going out among your underlings, you have to maintain your image.”

Rhys still looks confused so Jack sighs and continues, “Put on a clean shirt and a new tie. How have you made it five years?”

Rhys looks down to his shirt. “Right, yeah, I'll do that,” he mumbles as he goes to a panel on wall which swivels to reveal a closet.

Rhys removes his vest and begins unbuttoning his shirt. Jack looks away and tries his best to nonchalantly look over the reports on Rhys' desk. The report on top is from HR, no real use. Underneath is a weapons report on a sniper rifle with some new scope. He looks closer at that report and sees the scope digistructs a small aerial drone to provide long range scouting. Interesting. Jack glances over at Rhys to check how much time he has left but stops and stares at what he sees. Rhys' entire left side is covered in swirling blue tattoos. If Jack didn't know any better, he'd say they were . . . but no that was impossible.

Rhys seems to notice Jack staring and gazes back in confusion. Jack covers his prolonged gawking with a response of, “Wow, I see you're still skinny as ever. You gotta eat, put on muscle mass so people won't mess with you. But not too much or they'll think you're lunkhead like your _commander_ friend.” Rhys, a bit shy after Jack's critique picks up the pace putting his shirt back on. Jack continues, “I don't know if you check the references on these people but he was dishonorably discharged from the Dahl military. I mean how much does a person have to suck to be kicked out by Dahl.”

Once Rhys completes his tie and slips into a new vest, he raises his arms to Jack for inspection. Jack takes a moment to mime judging his appearance and gives him a thumbs up. Rhys gestures for Jack to follow him out of the office.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Outside of Rhys' office are four rows of computer terminals with what Jack assumes are the rest of the PA's and clerical assistants. The group is working furiously with a buzz of light work conversation and echonet meetings until they notice Rhys has exited his office. Many of the workers smile and wave with such sickening earnestness, Jack wants to vomit on the spot. Some actually stand to acknowledge him walking by.

  
One male worker gets up from his seat and steps right into Rhys' path. Rhys greets him warmly, “Caleb, I'm glad to see you adjusting. How's the leg holding up?”

  
The man in question, probably 15 years Rhys' senior, stretches his leg out in exaggeration and replies, “It's amazing! Incredible! After the first week, I couldn't even tell the difference. Mr. Strongfork, there is no way I can ever-”

  
Rhys cuts him off, “Now, we've been over this. You call me Rhys, understand?”

  
Caleb, surprisingly broad shouldered for an office worker, looks away shyly like some kind of school girl. Not a great look on the man.

  
“Mr. Rhys, are you alright?” One of the other PA's asks as Rhys is unable to suppress a yawn. “You look so tired.”

  
Instead of disciplining the worker for his insolence, Rhys just shrugs and replies, “Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix.”

  
Jack groans inwardly. Rhys' aw shucks attitude is wearing thin quickly and Jack wonders how anyone with a half a brain is actually falling for it. No one even pays attention to Jack, their focus too caught up in their fearless leader. While it annoys him, Jack supposes it will work to his advantage. He knows from experience that when people ignore you they also underestimate you. It was how he rose in the ranks of Hyperion and it was how he would get out of Atlas. Hell, it's how he survived his own goddamn childhood.

  
Once the gaggle of secretaries finish jerking off Rhys, the pair make it to the elevator. The walls are the same gleaming dark metal and red accents has Rhys' office. Rhys does not even select a floor but Jack notices the flash of him using his echoeye. Jack takes a moment to study the new echoeye which is amber instead of the blue it used to be. If he looks past the dark circles under his eyes, Rhys does still have some boyish features, not as noticeable as they once were but still present. Rhys continues to work on whatever he's engrossed in. The ride is silent except for the hum of machinery.

  
Jack decides to break the ice, “So you don't sleep, huh.” Rhys shrugs and Jack continues, “Yeah, I never slept either. Getting to the top is one thing but staying there requires vigilance. You never know where the next attack is coming from.”

  
Rhys seems to be ignoring him but Jack rambles on, “Hell, I never even let Nisha sleep in my penthouse. Yep, she was a wild one. Never doubted for a second she'd gun me down for the fun of it. Oh but me and her had some good times.” _'Til those bastard vault hunters killed her_. Jack thought bitterly.

  
Rhys is in his own world as he's clearly engaged with something in his echoeye. _That's just rude_ , Jack thinks. He's not sure why but not having Rhys' attention annoys Jack more than the fawning secretaries.

  
“Oh I'm sorry. Am I boring you, princess?”

  
Rhys has the nerve to actually laugh.

  
“What?!” Jack snaps back.

  
“You know with that voice, you don't sound nearly as intimidating as you think you do.”

  
Jack rips off his pocket-watch, shifting back to his normal appearance. He tries to press buttons on the elevator's panel but nothing responds to his touch. “Goddammit, make this thing stop!”

  
Rhys flicks something with his echoeye and the elevator halts. “Yeah, you gotta be cleared by security to operate the elevator.”

  
Jack rolls his eyes. He takes a couple steps so he is standing directly in front of Rhys and crosses his arms. It was a power move he learned early on in his career. Rhys takes the hint and blinks, closing out whatever his echoeye was working on.

  
“Now,” Jack begins “You brought me into this world and I know you say you did it with only the purest of intentions, but I'm still not convinced. You want me around for whatever reason. Now, if you want my generous cooperative involvement during this observation period, you will not frickin' IGNORE ME!” _So much for blending into the background_.

  
Jack finishes with a roar but something is wrong. His head cocks to the right and his vision skips like a scrambled holo-message.

  
Rhys is immediately in his face, running his hands along Jack's neck pressing at specific points. He begins a soft countdown from 30. Once he hits 5, Jack's vision blacks out completely. Once he hits 0, his vision softly comes back in full and his neck is able to move freely.

  
Jack takes in a deep breath and asks, “What the fuck was that?”

  
Rhys, whose previously sleepy eyes are now shockingly wide, continues to scan over Jack's body, “Neural overload. Too much, too soon. Maybe taking you out of the lab so early was a mistake. Let's head back up and you can lie down for a while.”

  
“No!” Jack snaps. The lab where Rhys has complete control over if he lives or dies or exists in a vegetative state is out of the question. Jack mentally begins his own countdown from 10 and attempts to rein himself in. _Be kind, be charming, no killing_. “All better now, Pumpkin. Just a minor glitch there. So, security, right? That'll be fun.”

  
Rhys takes a long moment as he undoubtedly scans Jack's vitals. Finally he nods his agreement, “Ok, we'll just try to take it slow. I've loaded your initial information into the system. Once we get to security I'm going to have to let you in on your own. There's a guy that I'd rather not . . . it could be awkward.”

  
Rhys twists his fingers together and looks away. Jack smirks, “Oh ho, a one night stand got a bit of a crush?”

  
Jack is teasing but Rhys just nods and answers, “Yeah. I know it was a mistake but to be fair he said he understood it was just a one off and -”

  
“No need to explain. I've been there. Some people just can't take _'we're done now, get out of my face before I kill you_ ' as an answer,” Jack replies. “But Rhysie, I gotta admit: I never pegged you for the love 'em and leave 'em type.”

  
“I just don't have time for a relationship and the people here they don't . . .”

  
“Understand the enormous burden you're under every second of the day?”

“Yeah, that's right,” Rhys finally looks Jack in the eye.

  
“Preaching to the choir, cupcake,” Jack smiles and pats Rhys' shoulder.

  
The elevator resumes its motion and stops a few seconds later. Jack reattaches his pocket-watch, transforming back into the Amazing Nerdman. Rhys hands him a small echo device and tells him, “When you're finished, echo me and I'll come get you.” Rhys then steps off to a small alcove near the elevator bank and disappears from view.

  
Security headquarters is thrumming with activity. Some Crimson Lance but mostly uniformed security guards are at computer terminals, speaking with Helios workers, or monitoring video feeds. Jack had to admit, it put Helios' security protocols to shame, but he supposes security was a much larger threat on Pandora than on a space station.

  
“Can I help you?” Jack is stopped by the uniformed officer at the front desk.

  
“Uhhhh,” Jack mumbles trying to remember the name Rhys had given him. Once it comes to him, he reports in his annoyingly high pitched voice, “I'm Kevin. I have an internship starting today.”

  
The guard nods with a bored expression and types into his computer terminal. He stops abruptly as his eyebrows raise in surprise. “You're here as an intern for . . . the presidential office?”

  
“That's righT,” Jack replies his voice breaking at the end. “Rhy- Mr. Strongfork sent me here.”

  
The guard scoffs, “That can't be right. Connors!” he shouts to a guard across the room. An older officer strolls over and the guard continues, “This . . . person is supposed to be assigned as intern to the president's office.”

  
“No way, check it again,” Connors demands. The guards keys the information in and points bewildered at the holoscreen. Jack can see an image of his red haired cloaked appearance and does not even remember Rhys taking that photo.

  
Connors takes his echo unit out and shouts into it, “Ada! Why do I have some teenager in security with pending clearance for the president's office?”

  
Jack recognizes Ada's voice replying, “Mr. Rhys picked this one out himself. Get him whatever clearance he needs and get him access to E wing.”

  
“You've got to be shitting me.”

  
“Orders came from Rhys himself,” Ada replies and clicks off the line.

  
Connors gives Jack a long critical glare then shrugs and tells the guard, “Process him.”

  
Processing involves a retinal scan, fingerprint analysis, DNA sample, and voice recognition. He's read a general introduction statement about Atlas' policies on confidentiality, workplace behavior, entrance & exit procedures, weapons rules (none, ever, at any time), and sexual harassment.

  
Jack is given a non disclosure agreement to sign. The guard tells him, “It's standard issue. Just sign at the bottom.”

  
“I don't sign anything without reading it. Rookie mistake,” Jack says as he grabs the info pad to go over the document. Jack makes it to the end and is shocked: there is not a single line about execution for leaking Atlas secrets. _Failure to adhere to these guidelines will result in employment termination or headquarter reassignment._

  
“Headquarter reassignment?” Jack questions.

  
“That's right. You screw up, they may send you to Promethea,” The guard answers as if that is the most horrible punishment he can imagine.

  
“What's wrong with Promethea?”

  
The guard seems confused by the question and answers haltingly, “You wouldn't get to see Rhys.”

  
“Oh right. I didn't think of that. That would be . . . bad?” Jack wonders if this is the guard Rhys had banged. The guy must be really hung up on him. _Dumb bastard_.

  
“Look, I don't know who your parents are or who's dick you sucked to land this gig, but you watch yourself.”

  
“What the hell's that supposed to mean?”

  
The guard only narrows his eyes and gives him the I'm watching you sign with his fingers.

  
Jack raises an eyebrow but resists the urge to just smack the moron. Once he is back at the elevator bay, he starts to take his echo out but hears a soft snoring sound. Stepping over to the alcove, Jack finds Rhys slumped over on a bench, his cyber arm projecting lines of code, and the man fast asleep. Jack considers leaving him like that and venturing off on his own but decides it would be too risky with security only feet away. Instead, he kicks Rhys' foot, rousing the man out of his slumber. Rhys jolts upright, the lines of code disappearing. He jumps to his feet, “Sorry, just resting my eyes. How'd it go?”

  
“You have quite the fan club,” Jack muses.

  
Rhys blushes and rubs his neck as he stands, “Yeah, it gets weird sometimes.”

  
After stretching out and yawning, Rhys claps his hands together and asks, “Where would you like to go first?”

  
“Why don't we start in my area of expertise,” Jack says. “How about weapons?”


	4. Chapter 4

The smell of gunpowder is in the air. They arrive at the Atlas Weapons Development and Testing Facility and Jack is practically bouncing with excitement. The entryway features a hall with clear display cases on either side showcasing what must be Atlas' best and most popular guns. Jack pauses at a rocket launcher with an oddly shaped barrel.

“What's this?” Jack asks.

Rhys stops and replies, “I think you'll like that one. It's a rocket launcher that also splits into two assault rifles. It's incredibly popular with dual wielding fighting styles and is the flagship product of our Gunzerker line of weapons.”

Rhys points across the hallway and says, “That one I designed for our Assassin line. Zer0 oversaw its production. It's a sniper rifle that doubles as an electrified sword.”

“You've certainly moved on from your stun baton days,” Jack observes, surprised and impressed with what Rhys has showed him.

Jack laughs, “Remember when I gave you that little security robot? You carried that thing with you everywhere! You even had it attack that woman who tried to have you killed. What was it called?”

“Dumpy?” Rhys answers. “Of course I remember. He was our first product to actually sell out upon initial release.”

As Rhys says this the doors slide open and they are greeted by Dumpy himself warbling unintelligibly, flying happy circles around Rhys.

“The Ammo Dump companion robot attaches on the back belt of the user. When called upon, it digistructs ammunition of any requested type.”

“Wow, that's . . . a shockingly useful creation.”

“Dumpy, SMG!” Rhys commands. The little robot warbles and immediately digistructs an SMG clip onto the floor. “The latest model includes a regenerative shield for the little guy. He has made us a lot of money, but also a lot of enemies.”

“Well, no shit. Every ammunition seller in the galaxy will want to destroy you for this. Who's that asshole with the vending machines on Pandora?”

“Marcus,” Rhys replies with a grimace. “Let's just say he's not a fan of ours.”

“Ah, corporate enemies. They're the benchmark of any successful business.”

“The first couple years were rough. Supply convoys and shuttles were sabotaged at nearly every turn. Without Axton and the Crimson Lance, we never would have made it. He was one of my first hires and still one of my best decisions.”

“Did you sleep with him?” Jack asks, trying for nonchalance but the question had been gnawing at him since he saw the commando touch Rhys' hip.

Rhys' cheeks flush red and he looks away, “Yeah, I did. He's . . . really, really handsome.”

Jack realizes in his rational mind that he does not have ownership over the adjective _handsome_ , but that doesn't stop him from bristling at it being used to describe some lowlife bullet sponge.

“Tediore tried to have me assassinated five times!” Jack recounts trying to change the subject. “The attempts were so inept that I actually just found it funny. One of them almost worked but the piece of shit Tediore rifle jammed. You know how those things explode when you reload 'em? I unjammed it, reloaded it, and stuck the thing down the guy's throat. It was super gross, guts everywhere but so fucking hilarious!”

Jack is laughing so hard he has to wipe away tears, “I don't know, maybe you had to be there.”

“Actually I remember that. You broadcast it on all the monitors on Helios . . . on a loop . . . for an hour.”

“Hey, I didn't want you peons to get any ideas. A display of brute force always help to keep the little folk in line.”

The gorgeous noise of repeater fire grows louder as they approach the first shooting range. There are two dozen spots with all but three occupied. A seasoned looking Crimson Lance officer wearing fatigues instead of armor patrols the the range, giving advice to the people firing.

“This is the employee range. It is free for all Atlas employees. Gun training is not mandatory but many employees find it helpful for stress relief. We used to only open it on the weekends but HR found it so effective for morale, we decided to keep it open all hours. Quite a few people come down on their lunch breaks to test out the new models.”

“The employee orientation said no weapons,” Jack reminds him.

“That's right. No weapons outside this department other than armed guards and Crimson Lance.”

“Wait, you're CEO. Why aren't you carrying the latest and greatest Atlas sidearm?”

Rhys smirks, “I don't _need_ to.”

Rhys approaches the employee on the end firing a small revolver. She's doing a decent job hitting the target and her stance is not terrible so Jack assumes she must come out often.

When she stops to reload her clip, she notices Rhys watching and nearly drops the gun in shock.

“Rhys! Sir! Wow, I've never been this close to . . . this is such an honor.”

“Is that the new Chimera?”

“It is!”

“What do you think of the added weight in the handle? Honest opinion, you won't hurt my feelings.”

“Honestly?” The woman looks around nervously and answers, “I don't really see the point. It fires the same but the weight seems unnecessary.”

“What about the melee feature?”

“Melee feature?”

Rhys holds his hand out and the woman hands it to him grip first. Rhys presses a button on the side and a four inch blades ejects out the bottom of the handle. This is the point where Jack would have lodged the blade into her impudent skull but Rhys just smiles that dopey grin of his.

“That's awesome!” the woman exclaims. “Would you like to fire a few rounds, sir?”

He nods but instead of firing, offers it to Jack.

“Kevin, why don't you show us what you can do?” Rhys hands him the pistol and winks.

Jack pauses but takes the offered weapon then steps into the employee's spot at the range. For a sickening moment, Jack worries this new body won't have his aim, his superior honed accuracy famed the galaxy over. Would he be able to do anything his former body could? Was he just a pale imitation of the real Handsome Jack. Despite his fear, Jack goes into his stance, breathes out, and squeezes the trigger. He grins widely when all six shots hit center mass.

“Impressive shooting there young man,” a deep voice says from behind. Jack turns around and the Crimson Lance officer is standing behind him, hands on hips. He reaches out and warmly shakes Rhys' hand. “Have you brought me a new recruit, Rhys?”

“Sorry, this is my new intern. He's a business student.”

“Well son, if you ever get bored of office life, we could use a natural shot like you. You just need a little time in the gym,” the officer proclaims. “Maybe you can convince your boss here to pick up a weapon.”

Jack turns and raises an eyebrow at Rhys. The man only chuckles awkwardly, “Is Sal in today?”

“Yes sir. Testing out the new digistruct facility.”

Rhys motions for Jack to follow him and they turn to venture down the aisle. They are stopped by the booming voice of the Lanceman. “Aren't you forgetting something?”

He holds his hand out to Jack and cocks his head to the side expectantly. Jack realizes he's still holding the pistol and hands it over, although rather reluctantly. He hates to compliment anything Atlas but the Chimera was always a legendary pistol. Jack's glad to see it still being improved upon. The Lanceman laughs heartily, “Watch yourself there, son.”

Jack forces a smile and hands it over. “Sorry, didn't even think.”

Once they reach the end of the range, they are stopped once more by three employees wanting to fawn over Rhys. While Rhys chitchats and takes photos with them for the echonet, Jack moves closer to a large rack of weapons. There is a small pistol no bigger than the palm of his hand. The Atlas lackeys are so engrossed in face time with their big boss, no one even notices Jack pocket it.

When Rhys has finally begged off from his fan club, he takes Jack through a set of doors two stories tall. They open onto a vast hallway stretching further than Jack can see. Each room they pass by has people testing guns, building them, or digitally designing them. One engineer becomes so excited when he sees Rhys, he tries to walk through a glass door to get to him.

Toward the end of the hall they come to an area that appears to be new construction. There are a number of warning signs plastered about promising danger and stray bullets. Rhys does not seem ready to stop but Jack's curiosity is peaked. When he tries to open the door, he's met with a negative beep and a red flashing light.

Rhys notices and says, “That is our experimental digistruct field. Our testing specialist is in the middle of a run on it. We can see it another day.”

“Uh-uh,” Jack says and tries the handle again. “First fun thing all day and you say we can't see it? Nah, in we go.”

Rhys rolls his eyes but reluctantly opens the door releasing a cacophony of gunfire. While Jack expected a large gun range, he finds what looks to be open Pandoran terrain complete with a bandit camp in the distance and mountains beyond that. If Jack didn't know any better, he'd think they had actually stepped outside. Jack immediately recognizes the person causing the the commotion. It is Salvador, the psychotic gunzerker that slaughtered an entire Hyperion invasion force. He is wielding two massive assault rifles and gunning down a pack of skags while standing atop a derelict bandit shack.

An overhead voice says, “Arena door opened. Program paused.” The vast landscape dissolves into a large metal lined room with a black riser where the bandit shack had been.

“Rhys!” the little man shouts as he jumps down from the riser. “It has been too long since you visited. Have you brought me a new prototype?”

“It's not quite ready yet,” Rhys replies and lets out a huff when the gunzerker wraps his arms around Rhys' midsection and squeezes tightly lifting his feet off the floor. Once he drops him, Rhys wheezes for breath.

“You are too skinny. Abuela wants you to come back for dinner. She says you do not eat enough.”

“I wouldn't miss it for the world. How's the new digistruct field handling?”

“The bullymongs are not big enough.”

“Now, Sir Hammerlock approved those dimensions as accurate to-”

“Eh!” Salvador waves him off. “Still not big enough. Is this a new PA?”

“Ah,” Rhys waves Jack forward. “This is my new intern, Kevin. He'll be shadowing me for a couple weeks.”

“Is that right?” Salvador looks Jack up and down. “You listen to everything this man says. He is Hero of Pandora.”

“Sal-” Rhys begins to protest but is cut off.

“It's true. My village was decimated by Hyperion. Rhys here found all the survivors and built a new town with a dome shield. He also gave us medicine and food and he fixed the land so we can farm. He built my Abuela the most beautiful house on the planet.” Rhys puts his hand up to stop the man but he continues, “I would have mounted that pendejo Handsome Jack's head over the mantle but Rhys would not allow it. Even to that _monster_ he show respect and bury him proper. I had price on my head but he gives me a job to shoot the Atlas guns. I love my job!”

Salvador fires his gun into the air causing Rhys to jump and stumble. Rhys backs toward the door and says, “We won't keep you from your important business.”

Once alone again in the hallway, Jack stares at the wall without looking until Rhys finally says softly, “Jack, listen. I had to-”

“You buried me?”

“Your, um, remains were up for auction. I bought them and had a burial site created.”

“Where?”

“Here. Well, not _here_ here, but in Old Haven. If you want to see it, I can take you there but I don't know if that would be weird. It sounds weird. Nevermind.”

“Am I alone?”

“What?”

“Am I buried alone?”

“Oh. No, I buried your, um, I buried Angel next to you.”

Jack is stunned. There's an emotion welling up in him that he can't remember ever feeling. It is an ache, a raw rush of something he cannot quite define. The powerful new emotion begins to give way to confusion. Jack hates being confused. He hates being powerless. He hates owing something to someone else. He hates having to rely on others. Relying on others always leads to the rug being swept out from underneath him. The confusion gives way to anger. Rhys seems to sense the change in his mood and nervously steps back. Jack's vision begins to pixelate again. His shoulder begins to convulse.

Rhys approaches him holding out his hand but Jack snaps at him, his voice laced with venom, “Don't touch me!”

Jack closes his eyes, concentrates on slowing his racing heart, and silently counts down from ten. At zero, he opens his eyes and nods to Rhys that he is better, ready to move on. Rhys is apprehensive but knows better than to question it.

They tour and talk guns for the next hour and Jack comes to understand why they muscled Hyperion out of business. If Jack's employees had showed half the enthusiasm of Rhys' they could have taken over the galaxy. The most surprising thing is that Rhys himself seems to have a finger in the design of every new weapon. As they are getting ready to leave, Jack's curiosity wins out and asks, “Why don't you carry? I slept with a gun under my pillow and DNA sequenced turrets primed at all doors and windows.”

Rhys just shrugs and replies, “I told you. I don't _need_ to.”

“Yeah, that really doesn't explain anything. What the h-”

“Are you hungry? We should get lunch. Let's get lunch,” Rhys interrupts then stops short and asks, “ _Are_ you hungry? Do you feel any need right now for food?”

“Do I have to eat, like ever?”

“Well, yeah. You're human. Mostly human. You have a fully functioning digestive tract,” Rhys says as he points to Jack's gut, “and you require sustenance to live. I just didn't know if your body had begun to send those kinds of signals to your brain yet.”

Jack shrugs, “You got any pretzels?”

 


	5. Chapter 5

Jack wonders if Rhys will take him to the employee food court or one of the facility restaurants for lunch, but instead they head to a residential area. He sees a sign on the way marking it as E wing.

“E Wing?”

“Executive wing,” Rhys answers. “The original plan was for this to be the residence for all board members and executive officers but most board members ended up residing on Promethea or Eden-6. Security didn't think it would be a good idea to have anyone occupying the apartments as that would lead to increased foot traffic and the need for more guards. All but mine and the one next to it are unfurnished.”

“How many people live on the premises? Are there other wings?”

“Just me,” Rhys replies with a shrug. “Most employees reside in Old Haven. It's grown quite a bit. When we're done eating, we can head out and see it. The city has a current population of over 50,000. There are also a number of hotels, a casino, some restaurants/bars, a school, shopping centers, and even a sports center. The sports are all intramural but there might be professional games there someday.”

Once they arrive at Rhys' penthouse, he stands still for a retinal scan and the doors open. The apartment is large but barely decorated. There doesn't appear to be anything _Rhys_ about the place. The furniture is simple in design but very high quality. There is a spotless kitchen that looks unused, an office in front of rows of neatly stacked books, and a bedroom containing a large bed covered by a shiny black comforter over red sheets. The only piece of art in the entire place is a sculpture of the vault key suspended in mid air, soft lights reflecting off the intricate Eridian carvings.

Jack walks up to the model to examine it more closely and is impressed with the craftsmanship.

“This,” Jack points to the model, “is well done. Did you have this specially commissioned? Was it that sculptor from Isolus? It looks almost real.”

“It is real,” Rhys says as he joins Jack at the display. The eridium light emanating from it bathes Rhys' features in purple and causes the tattoo on his neck to almost appear glowing.

“Is this the one I used . . . the one from the Warrior's Vault?”

“No. This was given to me in the Vault of the Traveler. All other known keys in the galaxy reportedly self destructed.”

“Whatever happened to Fiona?” Jack asks as he removes the pocket-watch, transforming back to his real appearance. He tosses the watch onto Rhys' desk as the man keeps talking.

“She and Sasha left on their grand tour of the universe. Last I talked to Vaughn, Sasha had echoed him from Artemis. They are wealthy, famous, and always involved in some sort of grand adventure.” Rhys says with a wistful look as if he wished he were with them.

“What, are they vault hunters now?”

“No, they have enough money now to last ten lifetimes. They're just living their best lives I suppose.”

“Well, you're not exactly slumming it. CEO of the largest weapons manufacturer in this part of the galaxy. Legions of adoring employees. What did that idiot gunzerker call you? The Hero of Pandora?”

“They like to exaggerate.”

“Pumpkin, I've worked in a corporate environment for over twenty years. No one is eager to love their boss. Just having employees not want to murder you is an achievement. What do you have? I'm beginning to wonder if you put something in the water.”

A buzzer sounds at the door and Rhys opens it remotely with this echoeye. A three wheeled robot rolls in with two trays. It places the trays on a dining table and beeps expectantly at Rhys. Rhys waves it off and says, “I'll call when we're finished.”

The robot beeps in apparent understanding and rolls back out of the apartment. The trays contain fresh fruit, cut vegetables, and two glasses with thick liquid.

“I ordered very simple foods. You shouldn't have anything complex until we know how your digestive system is functioning. The shakes have some simple proteins that will help stave off any hunger pangs. One is sweet and one is savory. Take your time eating and let me know if you feel any discomfort.”

“What are _you_ eating?” Jack asks.

“Eh, I'm not hungry,” Rhys waves him off as he brings up that projection of code Jack saw him with earlier.

Jack shakes his head, “Nah, eat something.”

Rhys looks up in surprise. Jack sighs and continues, “It's weird if I'm the only one eating. Have a bite of the, well, I don't know what any of these are, but eat one for fuck's sake.”

Rhys closes the display on his hand and joins Jack at the table. As Jack dives in with surprising ferocity considering he hadn't even felt hungry a moment ago, Rhys thoughtfully nibbles on some green fruit with small brown spikes. Jack downs the two shakes in three gulps each and turns his attention to the vegetables. They are all uncooked by extremely flavorful. Jack moans in appreciation, “Since when did raw vegetables taste this good?”

“Your taste buds are brand new. You'll need to keep to mild food for a while because you basically have a child's sensitivity right now.”

Jack reaches over and grabs one of the green fruits, same as the one Rhys is still working on. Without hesitation, he takes a large bite out but the thing nearly explodes in his mouth, shooting a stream of purple liquid across the front of his shirt. “Son of a taint!” he yells as he stands up.

Rhys laughs loudly, “I didn't think to warn you. Those are very juicy.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Jack mumbles as he wipes his hands on his pants before realizing he was making the problem worse. With a sigh of defeat, Jack finishes eating the fruit which actually has a lovely flavor.

Rhys gives up with half of his original piece still uneaten and says, “Let me show you your apartment. I ordered some clothes that will fit.”

Instead of going out to the main hallway, Rhys leads him to his office and brings out a hand scanner similar to the one in his lab. The bookcase opens and they enter into an exact mirror copy of Rhys' office. The bedroom in this apartment is nearly the same except the bed has a black comforter with _yellow_ sheets. Rhys points to the back of the room and says, “Some clothes for you are in there.”

When Jack enters, he finds a large walk-in closet stocked with every type of garment he could ever need. A collection to rival his own back on Helios. The center of the closet is a body length mirror that follows Jack's movements, always keeping him centered.

Without waiting, Jack strips off his sticky shirt but stops and takes a long look in the mirror. He carefully examines his face and body then shouts out to Rhys, “How did you get it so accurate?”

“Get what accurate?” Rhys asks from the other room.

“My face. This is exactly what I looked like before the Vaul . . . before I started wearing the mask. Hyperion posters and statues would not have looked like this.”

“It wasn't easy,” Rhys says as he steps into the doorway of the closet. “It took months but I was able to track down and hire Timothy Lawrence to come in for a full, extremely detailed face and body scan.”

“Am I supposed to know who that is?”

Rhys cocks his head in confusion, “He was your body double. You, you opened a vault with him.”

“Oh, that's his name? He was contractually not allowed to reveal his actual identity. Good guy. Sexy as hell. Did you sleep with him?”

Jack is met with silence. He turns to see Rhys blushing, looking away from him and stammering, “What? Why would . . . how did?”

“It's ok. You can admit it. Someone who looks like this?” Jack says as he motions to his semi clothed body. “No one would blame you for not being able to resist.”

Rhys mumbles something sounding like _yes_.

“What was that? Didn't hear ya, princess.”

“Yeah, alright!” Rhys says as he petulantly crosses his arms. “Yes, I slept with him.”

“I knew it! Of course you did,” Jack says with a laugh causing Rhys to blush further and turn away. “Hey, don't be embarrassed, I slept with him, too.”

“What?!?”

“Come on! Of course I did. The man's frickin' gorgeous. I honestly had no idea he was still alive.”

“Only you would think that's a normal thing to do.”

“Nothing wrong with some healthy self esteem.”

“Literally fucking an identical copy of yourself is not-”

Jack cuts him off, “So where's ol' Tommy now? Cause I gotta tell ya, I'm thinking threesome.”

Rhys rolls his eyes but that blush still shows on his cheeks, “It's Timothy. I officially bought out his Hyperion contract, set him up with a plastic surgeon on Grophic IV, defused the damn explosives Hyperion implanted in his face, and paid for discrete off world transportation. Last I heard, he's gotten into acting.”

“I suppose the surgery makes sense for safety and all, but it really is a shame. That face is a work of art.” Jack turns back to the mirror in the closet and continues to gently poke at this face, “It is sad that I actually have to ask this but . . . what am I?”

“As in?” Rhys' voice answers, confused.

“What am I, you know, made of?”

“Your brain and pretty much your entire central nervous system is artificial, a large computer network. It is more complicated than a mere download like when you were inserted into my cybernetics. Your AI was digitally coded into trillions of artificially created neurons. It not only recreates your personality, memories,and behaviors but all the non motor functions of a real human brain.”

Rhys extends his cybernetic arm and produces a display diagram of a human body. It highlights the brain and central nervous system. “Once your nervous system was created, your body was generated. Your bones, your organs, and everything else is engineered human tissue. We call the process synthetic tissue genesis or synth for short.”

The diagram animates as bones form, organs begin growing, veins wind around them, and finally everything is encased in skin.

Rhys walks over to Jack and holds his flesh hand out expectantly. Jack warily places his own hand palm up on top of Rhys'. A small needle extends from Rhys' cybernetic limb and swiftly pricks Jack's index finger.

Jack yelps in pain and shouts, “What the hell?” but stares in wonder as blood trickles down his finger.

“All of the tissue is yours. It is a perfect match to your DNA. From just a small sample, I was able to clone it and your cybernetic brain learned how to reproduce it.”

“You said there's a process. So there are other people like me, other _synths_?”

“No. Our laboratories only produce limbs and organs. The PA you met this morning, Caleb. He lost his leg and we were able to get him a synth replacement. Your body is a, well, a side project. I created you completely in my lab. No one else knows the technology exists.”

“Wow. That's a lot to process,” Jack says wondering just how intelligent Rhys is and why he did not notice it when he was living in the man's head.

“You've changed,” Jack says and locks eyes with Rhys. “What happened in that vault?”

Jack can see the inner struggle waging in Rhys' mind on what to tell him. After a long, silent minute, Jack decides it is a conversation for another time and opts for a distraction, “Like you seem to be a total slut now. When I was living up there,” Jack points to Rhys' head. “You wouldn't even admit to yourself that you were turned on by your little buff friend's abs. How'd you go from that to banging half the men you meet?”

Rhys' eyebrows raise and his flesh hand goes to the back of his neck. He looks away from Jack and struggles for words, “It's not that many . . . I still have. . . I . . . they're the ones that . . . men are . . .”

“Whoa! I'm not judging,” Jack says and throws up his hands. “You're CEO. Screw anyone you want. Honestly, I find it kinda hot.”

Jack unzips his trousers and drops them to the floor. “So are we doing this or what?”

Rhys gulps loudly and backs out of the room. He turns his head away and points toward the bathroom, “The shower is in there. I'll be in my apartment. I'll leave the door unlocked and you can come, or uh, enter when you're ready for the rest of the tour,” Rhys says all in one breath and practically runs from the room.

Jack smirks and looks down to find he is half hard. He tentatively begins to stroke himself and is relieved when he reaches a full erection. _At least everything's working downstairs._

Once in the shower, he thinks of that time with his body double at first but comes imagining Rhys on his knees with that amber eye looking up at him. After the shower, he puts on the clothes stored in the closet and is pleased that Rhys seems to have an idea of his style preference. He's able to layer a jacket over a yellow sweatshirt and matches it with a pair of dark slacks and brown leather boots.

Jack takes the back passage into Rhys' apartment. He walks in to find Rhys at his desk, head down, fast asleep. Jack knows from experience that falling asleep at your desk leaves a nasty crook in your neck. Rhys may need the sleep but nothing good comes from a nap in front of a computer. He gently shakes Rhys' shoulder but the young man only groans and turns his head away. Jack sighs, annoyed with Rhys for dozing. A CEO should never show that kind of vulnerability in front of a potential enemy. Enemy is a strong word. Jack reconsiders. Questionable acquaintance? Either way, Rhys should not trust him like this. No one just ups and trusts Jack.

Jack reaches down and puts an arm under Rhys' legs and the other under his back scooping him into his arms. Rhys does not even wake up but instead nuzzles into Jack's chest.

“Damn, kiddo,” Jack mutters as he carries him over to the sofa in the living area. He's light, too light and would be even lighter without his cybernetic arm. Once Jack has laid him out on the sofa, he kneels down and stares into Rhys' face, puzzling over his situation.

Jack realizes this is his moment. If he wants out from under Rhys and to come out back on top, he could do it now. He raises the little stolen pistol and lines it up with Rhys' head. He could put a bullet through Rhys' brain and no one would be the wiser. All he would have to do is rip out the man's echoeye and he would have access to the entirety of Atlas. Sure, the workers wouldn't be happy having their hero murdered but with enough _persuasion_ they would come around. He realizes he could even reprogram the pocket-watch and assume Rhys' identity for a smoother transition.

Rhys' soft breath tickles Jack's hair and Jack recoils as if struck. He puts the gun away and paces irritably. Jack never used to hesitate before a kill. Stopping and thinking about another life was not his style and hadn't been for a long time. He wonders if Rhys has done something to him when installing his AI. Jack decides before he can off the kid, he needs to find out exactly what Rhys did and if it can be reversed.

 


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

Rhys sleeps for a long time. By Jack's count, he has been out for seven hours and counting. Jack used the time wisely and caught up with the major events of the past five years. Rhys was right, without Jack and with increased competition, Hyperion folded miserably. Jack is oddly proud of the fact. However, he's dismayed when he notices his name is not even mentioned in the articles covering the bankruptcy. The article only mentions him in passing as _the untimely demise of their former CEO._

Eventually Jack tires of the history lesson and attempts to hack into Rhys' office computer. Rhys has upped his encryption game over the past five years and Jack is disappointed to find he cannot get past even the first layer. However, he is able to get into the secretarial communications. The PA's and administrative assistants work as a well oiled machine. Every communication is given an initial importance grade and routed to the appropriate department. Only the most important topics are sent to Rhys himself. Jack would have and tried many times to kill for a PA with that level of competency. His own PA could barely remember if he wanted cream in his coffee or sugar. _Both, damn it!_ Jack would often have to roar at her.

They also keep a meticulous record of every person to visit Rhys' apartment and their personal communications reveal they were none to kind to Rhys' gentleman callers. Jack wonders how many times they can spit in someone's coffee and still find it funny. Jack makes a mental note to never accept coffee he hasn't poured himself. He finds a grim satisfaction in knowing Axton is just as loved by Rhys' staff as he is by Jack. _Commander Asshole_ seems to be the popular nickname.

Unfortunately, they have already spread the news about Jack and seem to think even less of him. One lady refers to him as the _ginger balled ass-kisser_ Rhys is wasting his time on. A male PA named Greg writes _I know Rhys has always had questionable taste in men but this is a new low. Maybe we should stage an intervention?_ Jack finds this was written by the same man who wrote an article two months earlier entitled _Top 10 Colors to Match Rhys' Eyes_. It was a follow up to an article written by a woman in the archival department called _Top 10 Ways to Make Rhys Smile at You_.

Jack is just getting to what he believes is an encrypted section of Rhys' meeting itinerary, when Rhys himself shuffles into the office and blearily rubs at his eyes. Jack cannot suppress a smile when he sees the normally gelled coif is now a puffy mess.

With a yawn, Rhys asks, “What are you reading?”

Jack chuckles and projects an image, “You have got to tell me about this mustache.”

Rhys groans and closes the image with his echoeye. “I thought it looked good, gave me a certain maturity I had been lacking. Other people didn't quite agree. How long was I asleep?”

“A little shy of eight hours.”

“What?! No way. I haven't slept longer than four hours in years.”

“What can I say? My powerful masculine presence must be soothing. Now that I've magically cured your insomnia, let's do something about that appetite. What is the best restaurant in Old Haven?”

“Jack, your stomach -”

“I'll order some buttered noodles and lemon water. I want to see you eat an adult sized portion of something that was formally alive with a side of something that formally swam in the sea of a far off exotic planet.”

Rhys seems to hesitate with an answer so Jack interjects, “I am not taking no for an answer.”

“Well there is a place I heard Ada talking about visiting a few weeks ago. Gordon's? No, Gorgon. It's called Gorgon.”

“One moment,” Jack says as he taps into his echo device. “There, we have a reservation in an hour. Now, I will not be seen out with a wrinkly mess like you. Shower, shave, and dress in the tightest pants you own.”

While Rhys gets ready, Jack fiddles with his pocket-watch to see if he can at least get the modulated voice to stop cracking. Going through puberty once was hard enough. The results aren't perfect but he can finally stand the sound of his new voice and he's able to add some subtle muscle mass and a dusting of freckles instead of the infestation Rhys had created. It is not enough that anyone will notice a big difference but enough that Jack will not longer cringe when he looks in the mirror.

Jack plans to observe how Rhys exits the facility, what the city's security is like, and what the prominent transportation methods are. Rhys will most likely be too busy with adoring fans to notice Jack scoping out weaknesses. Jack also genuinely wants to see Rhys eat. He is still unnerved at how light the man was when he carried him. After double checking his modified appearance that it is different but similar enough to escape notice, Jack wanders the apartment until he eventually lands back at the vault key.

It rotates slowly in its suspension causing the purple lights to dance on the bare walls. Jack is in awe of its beauty but the pull it used to have is no longer there. Ever since the Vault of the Sentinel, Jack has dreamed of the power within vaults and that power always took the form of the key. He used to spend hours gazing into the key while it charged. The promise of power and wealth seemed to speak to him. The promises and knowledge of the Eridians that were so violently branded into his mind. Whispers of what he could be, of what they could give him, if he were only worthy enough to ask taunted both his waking and sleeping mind until the two states could no longer be distinguished.

Jack brings his fingers up to his face, tracing where the scar used to be. The scar would sometimes pulse while he watched the key. The pain of it never abated. From the moment Lilith punched it into his face until the moment he died, it would ache deep within his soul. It was his constant reminder that trust was not an option and the only means he had left were fear and hatred. _Angel_. The thought of his daughter is too much and he looks away from floating Eridian relic.

Jack tries desperately to remember when anyone looked at him with anything akin to actual affection. As he is pondering this, Rhys emerges from his bedroom, hair back in place, his face refreshed, and indeed wearing a pair of sublimely tight pants. Jack motions for him to turn around for inspection. He is wearing a black button down, open at the collar hinting at his odd blue tattoos. “Very nice, pumpkin. You are now presentable.”

Rhys smiles shyly as if he doesn't know what a looker he is and leads the way to the door. Jack walks behind him admiring the view.

They reach a balcony looking over the massive main hub of Atlas. It's almost as large as the one on Helios. In the center is a large fountain with a specially designed reverse flow causing the spouts to direct the water upward. The water is also decorated with alternating lights and soft music can be heard coming from it. Overhead screens display commercials for the newest weapons. Workers scurry along the walkways and the center area is populated with tables and chairs filled with people having coffee breaks or browsing the echnonet. Jack notices a distinct lack of statues, paintings, and posters of the CEO. Every corporation Jack has ever visited displays the owner in larger than life perspective.

Security for entering the building involves single file lines of people going through bioscans with basic metal and explosives detection. There are also Atlas guards monitoring each employee entrance physically comparing them to their photos. The exit is also in single file rows that monitor yet again for biosignature and weapons. Jack notes that even Rhys voluntarily goes through the security features.

In front of the building is a massive statue of Atlas holding up the world. Jack examines the giant formation carefully and notices somebody, definitely not he original artist has crudely carved whirling tattoos onto the man's left arm. Rhys appears oblivious to the addition.

Rhys was right when he said the city had changed. Jack would be hard pressed to even confirm they were still on Pandora. The streets are filled with pedestrians and small vehicles while lined with tall, modern buildings with shops and restaurants below. It is certainly not a very large city but it is clean and buzzing with activity. As they walk the three blocks to the restaurant, Jack is not surprised to see Rhys check his echoeye for directions twice. It doesn't seem like he leaves the main facility often. The people gawking also hint that Rhys out and about is a rare sight.

Jack made the reservation under Kevin but word of Rhys approaching must have proceeded them. The manager himself greets them at the door and shows them to their table. It is a nice place, not coming close to the quality of something on a central planet but much nicer than he could have ever expected on Pandora. As promised, Jack orders a plate of plain noodles and water.

He asks the waiter, “Do you have bottled water?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Perfect, bring it out unopened.”

Before Rhys can place his order, Jack does it for him selecting a 20oz steak of something large and meaty, he doesn't recognize the animal.

“Are those bug things in the water tank in back for show or are they eaten?” Jack asks the waiter.

“Those are imported, Aquatorian sea tarroks-”

“Do you kill them and serve them for food?”

“Well, yes of course.”

“Can we choose our own?”

“I suppose so.”

“Excellent, I'll let you know when we've picked one.”

Once the waiter leaves, Jack leans back in his chair and eyes Rhys still trying to determine what his role in all this is. Rhys notices him looking and nervously runs his hand through his hair, “What?”

“I still don't get it.”

“Get what?”

“Why do this? Your company is doing just fine so you don't need business advice. You have a loyal military keeping potential enemies at bay so you don't need my fierce battle sense. You have a pool of men and women clawing to get into your bed so you don't need me for companionship. Why go to all this work for something you don't need?”

Rhys struggles to find words so Jack continues, “Look, I know I'm awesome. I get that. The time you spent with me in your head was exciting and inspirational. I'll admit my plan to shove a robotic skeleton into your body was _meh,_ but I could tell you loved having me for company. So why not just shove me back into your cybernetics and execute some fail-safes so I can't retake your body? Aren't you the least bit concerned I'll murder you and forcefully seize control of Atlas?”

Rhys reaches out with his flesh hand and squeezes Jack's. “I didn't do this for me. I did this for you. Consider this a fresh start. Everyone deserves a do-over.”

“What about the murder and hostile corporate take-over?”

“Eh,” Rhys shrugs and smiles. He then leans over and purrs in Jack's ear, “You can try.”

Jack grins widely, “Well well, kiddo. I am loving the confidence. Not sure it's earned but I still like it.”

Jack then stands and rubs his hands together. “Let's go pick out a sea bug for you to eat.”

As they make their way to the back of the restaurant where the tank is, Rhys seems to be looking Jack up and down. Once they stop, he leans in and asks, “Did you modify your appearance?”

“I had to do something. You really gave me very little to work with. Now concentrate and pretend you really care which one of these you are going to eat.”

“Why? What does it matter?”

“It doesn't but you are the king now and a king only eats the best. You have to show these peasants that you are meticulous and posses the most sophisticated palette. Later you are going to request a glass of wine and then send it back. You'll then ask for a whiskey aged at least twenty years.”

“That is incredibly douchey.”

“Of course it is. You want them to think you are hard to please. It makes them work more for your approval. Then when you're alone, you can guzzle cheap coffee and binge on pretzels.”

Rhys appears to be humoring Jack and puts his hand to his chin, carefully studying the contents of the tank. While he does this, Jack can hear some of the wait staff chatting on the other side of the kitchen door.

“Wow, Rhys is even better looking in person!”

“I thought he'd be taller.”

“He's the same height as Handsome Jack.”

“Yuck, don't compare him to that psycho.”

“He killed _so_ many people.”

“I heard he even killed his own daughter.”

“No?!”

“That's messed up.”

“Super messed up.”

“She was like 10 years old or something.”

Jack freezes. He can't bring his limbs to move. _Angel_.

Distantly, he feels Rhys' hand on his arm. He mumbles to himself, “She was 21.”

 _Dad, you're an asshole_.

Angel screamed in pain when she died.

He can hear Rhys trying to speak to him, “Jack, don't listen to them. Jack, are you with me?”

Jack snaps back to the present and puts on a wide smile, “Have you made a choice there, cupcake?”

Rhys steels his features and replies, “Yep, we're leaving.”

Rhys firmly grips Jack's arm and leads them toward the front of the restaurant. The manager dashes out to intercept them, “Sir, is there something wrong? I would be happy to fix anything that-”

Rhys cuts him off, his tone brooks no argument, “Bill me for the food ordered. I'm not happy with the atmosphere.”

The bewildered patrons waiting for a table part before him. Once outside Rhys lets go of Jack's arm but continues his angry march for another block. Eventually he stops and looks Jack up and down as if checking for any signs of damage.

“Are you okay?” Rhys asks.

“I'm fine, kitten. You didn't need to do that but I gotta admit, you did with style.”

Rhys stares at him and Jack is unnerved how easily the man can easily tell he's lying. But thankfully, Rhys let's it go and says, “I have an old friend out of town that has a place. It's not fancy or anything but we should have a good time.”

Rhys takes them another block to a fast travel station updated from the Hyperion network to a new Atlas design. Once they rematerialize, Jack leans over dry heaving. He forgot how disruptive fast travel is to one's system. After the nausea has passed, Jack looks around to get his bearings.

“Hollow Point? This place is a shithole!” Jack exclaims, expecting a bandit to jump out at any moment.

“It's not as bad as it was. These days there's only a 50% chance of being stabbed. Come on, the bar is this way.”

They find themselves in front of a pub called The Purple Skag and are greeted by an over-sized Hodunk bouncer. Rhys cheerfully smiles at the ogre and asks, “Is August in tonight?”

“Yes'em Mr. Rhys. He'll be mighty happy to see you.”

The pub is a total dive but busy and full of patrons from all walks of life. It almost reminds him of one of Moxxi's places but without the obnoxious techno music. Speaking of Moxxi, there is a delightfully buxom woman ready to assist them with finding a table. Jack instinctively puts on his most charming grin and says, “Well, hello there, beautiful. What time do you get off tonight?”

What Jack forgets to account for is that his modified appearance does not generate the normal reaction to his flirting. She wrinkles her nose and says, “Not in your lifetime, sugar.”

Once she walks away, Jack notices Rhys barely able to hold in his laughter. “Shut up! That used to always work.”

They are interrupted when a tough looking man in a blue t-shirt and black leather jacket walks up to their table, pulling Rhys into a warm hug. His blond hair is spiked above his head and his ears are full of various piercings.

“Rhys! It has been way too long!” He steps back to look examine Rhys' flattering clothing, grinning at what he sees. “Please tell me you wore that for my benefit.”

Rhys blushes and Jack takes an immediate dislike to the man.

“August this is my new intern, Kevin. Kevin, this is August. He helped me open the vault and owns several successful pubs across Pandora.”

August finally seems to notice Jack and nearly does a double take. “Whoa! You bring some fresh faced intern to my bar? I am not responsible if this kid gets beat up for lookin' at the girls the wrong way.”

Rhys ignores the comment and asks, “Do you still have those fried varkid legs?”

“The hottest on the planet and we have that rakk ale you pretend doesn't give you the worst hang over known to man. These Hodunks are dumb as shit but they can get me the best hooch this side of the Dust. What about you, little man? Anything you want, on the house.”

Jack crosses his arms in irritation, “Water, bottled.”

“Ooh, a wild one,” August taunts then grabs Rhys into another overly affectionate side hug. He whistles for the waitress to return and pulls up a seat to join them at their table. He begins regaling Rhys with some stupid scheme he's working but Jack tunes him out, focusing solely on the man placing his hand on Rhys' leg.

The varkid legs smell disgusting but Rhys dives into them, tearing up from the spice level. August also seems to be doing his best to ply him with beer at every turn. Rhys is laughing as he tries to wipe off all the sauce on a bar napkin. August leans in and swipes a finger across Rhys' chin and lowers his voice to say, “You missed a spot.”

Jack jumps up from his seat so suddenly, both Rhys and August look up at him in surprise. Jack isn't sure what to say and just mumbles, “Bathroom, I gotta use the bathroom. Where is it?”

August points to a door past the bar and says, “Back there, chief. Had one too many waters, huh buddy?”

Once in the bathroom, Jack cannot bring himself to touch anything for fear of some bacterial infection. He wonders if Rhys was ever able to institute health codes. He had extensive laws planned for Opportunity that usually amounted to death for hygiene related offenses. Staring into the mirror, Jack mentally coaches himself _focus on what's important_.

As he leaves the bathroom, he's greeted by August standing outside the door. He smiles widely and claps Jack on the shoulder. “Hey there, kid. Havin' a good time?”

August completely ignores Jack's sarcastic, “Oh, the best” and keeps going.

“Look, it would be great if Rhys and I could get some alone time to catch-up. See that lovely lady at the end of the bar?”

Jack looks in the direction August is pointing and sees a gorgeous blonde woman in a tight red dress. “Her name is Talia and she is a good friend of mine. In fact, she owes me a favor. I could put in a good word for you.”

Jack raises an eyebrow. He supposes a little female company might snap him out of this Rhys fixation and get him back to feeling more human. He figures the preoccupation with Rhys is due to him being the only person he's had meaningful contact with since waking up and once that spell is broken, it will be easy to do what needs to be done.

“How good of a word?” Jack asks, enjoying the idea of spending time with Talia more by the second.

“The best. The kind of word that makes it a sure thing. All I need you to do is tell Rhys you're tired and want to head back early but that you don't need help getting back. Understood?”

Jack nods, “Yeah, I can do that.”

August smiles even wider, “Thank you, kid. I owe you big for this!”

He leads Jack over to the bar and drapes his arm casually across Jack's shoulder. “Talia, I would like to introduce you to my good buddy, Kevin. He just arrived on planet for his new position as an Atlas executive.”

The woman is resolutely unimpressed and crosses her arms, “Seriously August?” She sighs dramatically and answers, “Fine but after this, we're square.”

“Babe, you're the best,” August responds and happily turns away to rejoin Rhys who is currently being shown what appears to be some kind of beloved shotgun by one of the Hodunks. Rhys is politely listening to the story of how the man's grandpa uncle won it in a skag race.

Talia unenthusiastically tells Jack, “OK kid. Buy me a drink and let's get this over with.”

Jack waves down the bartender so Talia can order a Demophon sunset which is served with a little holographic umbrella. They stand in awkward silence as Jack struggles to think of anything to discuss with someone he is suspecting to be at least a part-time prostitute.

His gaze eventually turns back to Rhys who has August whispering something in his ear that is creating an obscene blush extending even to his neck. Jack has a sudden urge to smash a beer glass into August's head, but he pushes that instinct down and tells Talia, “I'm going to tell my friend to leave without me. I'll be right back.”

The woman nods, not seeming to care either way. Once he reaches Rhys' table, he has to clear his throat to get his attention. Rhys looks up and at least has the decency to look embarrassed, “Ja-Kevin, how is it going? Are you wanting to get back?”

“Actually, I've made a new friend,” Jack says and nods toward Talia. “I'll make my own way back after awhile. You enjoy the rest of your night.”

It is only there for a moment, but Jack notices a disappointed look in Rhys' face. He recovers quickly and nods, “If that's what you want.”

Jack starts to make his way back and August mouths _thank you_ before turning to Rhys, his gaze more lecherous than ever. Jack doesn't understand why he does it but halfway back to the bar, he grasps his right leg, calls out in pain, and flops to the floor.

Rhys is by his side in a heartbeat, panic on his face, “What happened? Are you hurt?”

Jack fakes a grimace and says, “Just give me a minute, I'll be fine.” For good measure, he tries to get up and collapses again.

“Oh no no. I've got to get you back to Atlas so I can take a look.” Rhys then dips his shoulder under Jack's arm and helps him up.

August rushes to his side, “What's wrong, Rhys?”

“Kevin has some nerve issues with his leg. He just had a synth put on last week. I need to get him back.”

August offers to have a bouncer carry Jack to the quick travel station, but Rhys refuses, “I should be going anyway. It was so good to catch-up with you, August.”

On their way out, Jack glances back at August and is utterly pleased with the scowl marring his face. Jack winks just to rub it in.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Jack limps for about a block before he straightens and announces, “How about that? I'm feeling much better now.”

Rhys looks relieved and stops to breathe. “Good, that's good. You had me worried. I don't know about you but I am really not feeling another trip by fast travel.”

“No shit. I don't think you'd make it with stomach contents intact. How do you propose we make it back?”

Rhys perks up, “They have an old catch-a-ride station here that still works. I can drive us back to Old Haven. You can get a view of the projects going on around Pandora.”

“Nah, pumpkin. With the amount of beer in your system, we'll sooner end up lodged in a thresher pit. I'll drive.”

Jack chooses a two seat runner in Hyperion yellow and jumps excitedly into the driver's seat. Rhys settles into the passenger seat and they take off.

Nights are short on Pandora and only last a few hours out of the 90 hour day. The sun is back out and bright as ever. The area immediately surrounding the grotto city of Hollow Point boasts some rich looking new vegetation. There is a fresh water lake and a crop of wheat making the once desert city look decent from far away.

They spend an hour driving in companionable silence, Rhys dozing a bit as his buzz recedes. Unfortunately, his newly cleared head leads to his face taking on a decidedly green tint.

“How you doing there, cupcake? You ain't looking so good.”

“Jack, can you pull over?” Rhys asks while grasping his stomach. Jack chuckles and spins a fierce donut before skidding to a halt near an outcropping of rocks. Rhys sprints from the car and vomits into a nearby stactus plant.

The land around them is what Jack remembers of Pandora. Long stretches of desolate wasteland. Rakks circling in the distance and not a building for miles. In its own way, it is kind of beautiful.

“Oh no!” Rhys shouts out and starts climbing down the rocky pit and out of view. Jack deliberates on whether to follow him and remembers the last time the dumbass was lost in the desert. With that in mind, Jack exits the vehicle and walks over to the lowered pit. Inside, Rhys is crouching down and cooing at something. “Oh, you poor thing! Are you hurt?”

Once Jack is close enough, he sees it's a skag pup with a leg wedged in a rock. The mongrel is very thin and has probably been stuck for some time. It's weak little cries are truly pathetic. Rhys is struggling to pull the thing loose and is not making any real progress. Jack would sooner put a bullet in the thing's head than bother helping it but Rhys already seems on the verge of tears. Jack instead surveys the scene and figures between the two of them they can move the rocks enough to get it out.

Rhys seems genuinely surprised when Jack begins picking up rock pieces but doesn't say anything. Rhys is shoving a particularly large boulder when Jack has enough leverage to pull the pup free of the formation. In the process, Jack falls onto his ass and let's out an indignant huff. The little skag is thrilled to be loose and climbs, limping into Jack's lap, wiggling with joy. Jack grimaces but reluctantly pets the thing knowing he's going to have to trash the entire outfit anyway.

In an instant, Jack feels his modified appearance slip and sees the skag swallow his pocket-watch whole. He looks up to see Rhys beaming, “Awe, he's hungry.”

“And I'm dead if anyone recognizes me.”

“We'll just have to cover your face when we approach the city. I can get us in through a back entrance.”

Jack's heart beats faster as he tries not to show his interest in that idea. He thought it would take at last a week to figure out how to bypass security.

Jack stands, dusts off his pants, and begins walking back to the car. Rhys calls after him, “We can't just leave him. He's hurt and he's too far away from his burrow.”

“What are _we_ going to do with it?”

Rhys scrolls through his echoeye and replies, “There's a refugee camp a few miles from here. We can take it there and they'll have med packs to patch him up.”

Jack rolls his eyes, turns back around, and snatches the pup into his arms swearing under his breath about filthy Pandoran abominations. They settle back into the car and Jack deposits the skag onto Rhys' lap. “Alright pumpkin, which way is this, what did you call it? Refugee camp?”

“We have about two dozen of them set up all around the planet. They take in refugees fleeing from dangerous planets that can't get in through official channels.”

“What do you do with them?”

“Get them fed, provide medical care, help them find family that they may have been separated from. After they're stable enough, we get them filed for Pandoran protection status and assign housing in one of the cities.”

“And how much are they paying you for this?”

“Well, nothing. Most of them have no money to begin with so asking for payment would be ridiculous.”

“Let me get this straight: you take in a bunch of poor, possibly diseased rejects from other planets and just give them food, supplies, housing, and citizenship?”

“Well, yeah.”

Jack bursts into laughter, “And here I thought you were smarter than I saw you last. You don't build a new, better planet by taking in the worst the galaxy has to offer.”

“Actually, Jack,” Rhys replies, his tone defiant. “That's exactly how you build a better planet. Just because people are poor doesn't mean they're worthless. The border planets are full of terrible violence whether it's from disease, war, famine, or oppression. We need people on Pandora and the best people to have are those that know what going without is like.”

They sit in near silence, the only sound being the skag pup panting. Jack turns on the ignition after a long moment and says, “Alright Rhysie. I hate to admit it but you make a good point. I'm starting to get this hero worship thing. You've got a near empty trash planet full of dangerous creatures, psychos, and bandits. You want to tip the scales in your favor so you bring in thousands of folks willing to do anything for a little safety and security. Pretty soon, you've got yourself a planet full of people foaming at the mouth to worship you. It's a lot more subtle than my building a robot army and controlling a vault monster, but it still gets the job done. I'm impressed.”

Rhys shakes his head and says softly, more to himself, “You still don't understand.”

“No, no, I totally get it and for the record, I'm on board. Now let's unload this slobbering skag on your aide workers before it hacks up that partially digested pocket-watch all over your designer shoes.”

Rhys loads the coordinates of the camp into the car's dash and Jack takes off into the desert. They reach the site in about 30 minutes. There is a main building with several Atlas vehicles parked outside. Behind the building are about two dozen white tents with power and water lines running to each. Crimson Lance patrol the borders, keeping an eye out for bandits and beasts. When the sun reflects just right, Jack notices the entire camp is enclosed in a dome shield for extra security.

Rhys digs around in the glove compartment and produces a dust mask for Jack. It is large enough it covers the lower portion of his face and should be fine for anyone not explicitly looking for him. As they walk toward the camp, Jack notices Rhys struggling with carrying the skag. While it's a pup, it still weighs a significant amount. Jack sighs and takes the pup from Rhys' arms earning him a warm smile. He whispers to the pup, “You vomit on me and I'll personally make Rhys a new pair of skag skin boots.”

A lanceman comes out to greet them and waves. “I hope you fellas are hungry, supper is just starting. How long has it been since you had some water? We can get you started on an IV if you're feeling weak.” Jack is taken aback as he never expected to hear those words from a Crimson Lance officer. “I think we even have some bones in the freezer for your skag there.”

“Thank you, officer. That's very kind. We're actually just looking to get a med pack for the skag. He's got a hurt leg,” Rhys says.

“That's no problem. Go on through and someone will get you set up,” the lanceman answers and then looks up. Jack can see the exact moment he realizes who he's talking to. “Rhys! You're Rh- Mr. Strongfork. This is an honor, sir. We had no idea you-”

“I'm not on official business. Just out for a drive and came across this little guy. I'm glad to see everything is going well here. How many guests do you currently have?”

“47, sir. 7 elders,12 adults, 3 teens, and 25 children.”

“How are they adjusting?”

“Very well, sir. We have a family of 5 leaving tomorrow for Overlook.”

“Excellent. Karima will take good care of them.”

As Jack and Rhys walk past the guard, they can hear him speaking quickly into his echo, “Heads up! The CEO is here . . . He's going inside . . . No, I'm not joking. It's Rhys . . . He just pulled up in a runner . . . I have no idea why he's out here.”

Once they enter, several lanceman are struggling to get their helmets on. Rhys holds up his hands and tells them, “Don't worry. This isn't an inspection. As you were.”

The facility is surprisingly clean with purified, chilled air and modern equipment. The senior employee on site rushes out. She isn't wearing a uniform and is clearly off duty, but seems very excited to have a visit from the head of the company. Rhys seems to recognize her and reaches out to shake her hand, “Claudia, it's a pleasure. I apologize for showing up unannounced. Would you mind having someone show my friend here to the infirmary? We have an injured skag pup.”

“Of course, sir,” She motions to one of her lancemen, who walks over to Jack and leads him down a hallway.

Jack can hear Rhys discussing something with the site supervisor but can't make out what he's saying. The guard opens a door to a medical suite with a uniformed doctor attending to an elderly woman who appears to be suffering from the skull shivers. An assistant comes over and begins to coo at the skag, “Who do we have here? Why you're no older than 3 months. Do you have a hurt leg, huh, boy?”

The skag wiggles happily at the attention and Jack nearly drops him. The assistant turns to a cabinet behind her and produces a med pack. She swiftly jabs the needle into the pup's hindquarters and tells Jack, “Take him out the back door so he can try walking. Let me know if he seems to be in any more pain.” Jack turns to leave the room and the assistant calls after, “Sir, I would be happy to do a quick health check for you. Is the mask for pox, shivers, or dust inhalation?”

Jack is surprised at the genuine concern in her voice and stammers as he replies, “It's, it's just preventative.”

“Ah, I see. Good idea. Better safe than sorry.”

The hallway leads to a set of double doors that open onto a field of terraformed grass with a fresh water pond in the middle. Tents extend beyond the grassy area. Jack sets the skag on the ground who immediately begins to run in circles, frantically trying to take in his new surroundings. A group of small children on the other side of the pond see the pup and begin running over. Once they reach the pup, a child asks Jack, “What's his name?”

“Doesn't have one, kiddo.”

“Can we name him?”

“Knock yourselves out.”

The kids begin to chatter and argue among themselves on what to name the little animal. A very small girl, appearing no more than two accidentally pokes the skag in the eye. Instinctively, the skag snarls to warn her off but it sends the girl into crying hysterics.

Jack runs over and kneels down at her side, “Hey there, cupcake. Don't cry. He's just being grumpy. He won't hurt you.”

The girl looks up at Jack and scrambles backward.

“What?” Jack asks in confusion.

An older boy who looks to be her brother says, “Your mask. The sick people with the scars wore masks.”

Jack removes the dust mask and smiles broadly. “See. Nothing to be scared of. Just a regular, ol' unbelievably handsome face.”

The little girl smiles and says, “Handsome man.”

“That's right, darling. Didn't I hear supper was almost ready?”

The children cheer and run towards the building, the skag pup chasing after them. When the door opens, Jack quickly places the mask back as he smiles faintly remembering Angel at that age. He stays by the pond deep in thought until Rhys comes out to join him.

“How'd it go?” Rhys asks.

“He's back to full health and I think has just been adopted by a group of children. I really hope he doesn't eat any of them.”

“Skags raised from pups actually make good pets.”

“I never thought of them as anything more than target practice. What was that woman in there talking to you about?”

Rhys shrugs, “She had information on a situation Axton's been looking into.”

Jack wants to ask more but Rhys changes the subject, “We are about an hour from Old Haven. Do you want to head back?”

“Well, you did promise to show me this back entrance of yours,” Jack replies with a smirk.

Rhys smiles fondly. It is not the blush Jack was hoping for but he seems to actually prefer this look. Going back through the facility proves to be a challenge as every worker and lanceman wants to shake Rhys' hand. Instead of going out the front door, Rhys takes a right and goes into the dining hall. He checks something on his echoeye and walks over to a woman in her early 50s, grey hair pulled back from her face.

“Are you Silvia?”

The woman nods with a mouth full of bread.

“I understand you're a botanist. Is that correct?”

The woman nods, seeming to forget to chew.

“Atlas can always use new botany staff in our terraforming division. The supervisor here will put you in touch with our human resources department once you're settled. We'll have a job waiting for you.”

Rhys softly pats her shoulder and turns to leave. As he does so, the woman swallows the rest of her bread and shouts after him, “Thank you, sir!”

The drive back involves Jack describing the program that originally saw him hired by Hyperion. His enthusiastic details on the coding would bore anyone else, but Rhys is fascinated and has quite a bit to add.  

Once back in Old Haven, Rhys takes Jack to a building across the street from Atlas headquarters. It appears to be a storage facility. In an empty back office, Rhys produces another of his palm scanners and a square in the floor opens to a shaft with a ladder leading down. Once they reach the bottom, they follow a narrow corridor with several twists and turns. Jack commits the turns to memory. Right, right, left, right, left, left, right.

They reach another ladder and climb up. Once at the top, the hatch opens into Rhys' bedroom closet.

“So do you have secret tunnels leading everywhere?”

“Yep. Never know when you need to get somewhere unseen.”

Jack nods in approval. Perhaps the kid was capable of the bare minimum of subterfuge. Once in the living area, Jack stretches out and yawns loudly.

“I don't think you've slept, yet,” Rhys notices. “You should probably lie down for a while.”

Jack doesn't like the idea of letting his guard down, but it is getting difficult to keep his eyes open. Rhys continues, “I'll be down in my lab. I have to work up a new pocket-watch. You can join me there when you wake.”

“Nuh uh. I thought I made it clear, I am not going in that lab again.”

Rhys rolls his eyes, “Then just echo me when you're up.”

Jack nods and heads to the passage leading to his apartment. Once in the large closet, Jack looks around for something to wear as pajamas. In a drawer, he finds a set of yellow striped pajamas in silk. There is a monogram on the front of _HJ_. They are an almost exact replica of the set he had on Helios. He gently runs his fingers over the fine fabric and thinks about the time that went into having something like that created and placed in a closet clearly made just for him.

Something resolves in Jack's mind and he sets the pajamas down on his bed before he marches back through the passage. Rhys is standing completely still, staring thoughtfully at the vault key, the eridium casting a purple hue on his features and reflecting off his tattoos. It is one of the most beautiful things Jack has ever seen. Once he approaches Rhys, he places his hand on the man's cheek and turns him so they are face to face. He brings his other hand up to place on Rhys's face and gently pulls him into a soft kiss. Before the kiss can deepen, Jack pulls back slightly and rests his forehead against Rhys'. With a breathy whisper, he says, “Thank you,” and turns to go back to his room. The first sleep in his new body is heavenly.

 

* * *

 

The transmission from the long range reconnaissance drone is surprisingly high quality. The footage taken is relayed within minutes of being shot. People in R&D were probably too trusting with such new technology, but he did work in the president's office so he had some pull. It was easy enough to place the tracker in the _intern's_ food as there is only one robot servicing E wing. It would stay in his system for 90 hours and harmlessly pass without him knowing.

He worried when they reached the refugee camp as the drone would not be able to fly through the dome shield, but his target walked out back and removed his mask at the perfect time. It wasn't irrefutable proof, but it would be enough to convince the right people. Caleb smiles as he saves and encrypts the video, already preparing for his important day.

 


	8. Chapter 8

During his first night's sleep in his new body, Jack dreams. The dreams are of no particular importance except that they are pleasant and Jack rarely had pleasant dreams not even as a child. At one point in his dream, he is standing in the rain. Although there is nothing to tell him so, Jack knows he is on Pandora. The rain is not bitter nor acidic, as the too rare precipitation on Pandora tends to be. Instead, it is cool and refreshing.

When Jack wakes, he does not remember his dream. In fact, Jack does not remember anything of the past day or how he arrived in the strange bed. He remembers going to sleep while on Helios, but upon waking he is immediately aware he is not on a space station. The first thing to alert him to this is the feel of gravity. While Helios had the best artificial gravity in the known galaxy, a human body was always aware it was not real. Jack sits up in bed and he notices that he is wearing his own pajamas, but that is where the familiar ends. Panic sets in as Jack struggles to understand the strange surroundings.

Jack rises and begins to carefully search what appears to be an empty apartment. There are no wall furnishings and no decorations. Jack's panic worsens as he struggles to find anything to explain where he is. As his hunt turns frantic, his right leg collapses under him and he falls to the ground, even more panicked than before. He drags himself along the floor and eventually finds an office with an echo device sitting on it. He shouts into the device, “Where am I and why am I being held here?”

A voice comes back on the other line, “Jack? Are you OK?”

“Who the fuck are you? Why am I here?”

“Jack,” the voice says and Jack can hear the sound of him running. “Stay where you are. I'll be right there.”

The next few minutes go by in a flurry of blurred vision and body convulsions. Distantly, he feels someone holding his shoulders. A voice is calling out to him, “Jack, breathe. You were just sleeping. Your neural system performed it's first reboot. Look at me.”

Jack closes his eyes and breathes deeply. When he opens them again, Rhys is kneeling next to him, his face creased with worry. Everything comes back to him at once like a wave crashing roughly against his mind. He throws himself against Rhys' chest and clutches tightly to the man.

Rhys wraps his arms around him and says against his head, “I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was going to do that. You're fine now. That was only an initial restart and it shouldn't happen again. I'm so, so sorry.”

Once the fear dies down, Jack shoves Rhys away and scrambles to his feet, embarrassment burning in his face.

Rhys stands and runs his hand through his hair. He gently takes Jack's hand and leads him to the bedroom. He motions for Jack to sit and says, “Let me do a quick exam just to make sure everything is working.”

Jack sits although reluctantly, the panic and fear from moments before numbing him to his surroundings. Rhys is scanning him with his echoeye and running projections of Jack's nervous system through his metal arm.

“Cybernetic reboots are very frightening and sometimes painful. I've been through a few,” Rhys says and motions to his neural port. “The first few weeks after the initial implant surgery were rough. Don't worry, you'll get past this.”

After another minute, Rhys seems satisfied. He closes his projection and blinks away his echoeye.

“It looks good. No obvious damage. Jack, how are you feeling?”

“Don't call me that,” Jack says blandly.  
“What do you mean?”

“Don't call me Jack.”

“That's your name. You're Jack, Handsome Jack.”

“But I'm not, am I,” Jack says.

“Jack-” Rhys starts and Jack cuts him off, standing and pacing.

“ _I_ am an AI created by some Hyperion scientist and shoved into a freakish mashup of computers and fake flesh. Handsome Jack is dead.”

“Heroes never die,” Rhys says without a hint of irony.

Jack reels back and throws a punch to the side of Rhy's head, knocking him to the floor. _Dad, you're an asshole_.

“WHY AM I HERE!” Jack screams

Rhys sits back, resting on his hands, blood trickling from his nose.

“ANSWER ME! Every time I ask for an explanation you evade. You've changed. I lived in that fucking head and something major has changed but you aren't telling me about it. I know you brought me back for some reason. Start explaining yourself before I really lose my fucking temper!”

Instead of a reply, Rhys gets up, walks into Jack's closet, and re emerges with the small pistol Jack had hidden. Without speaking, he carelessly shoots the lamp next to Jack's bed. It explodes in a hail of glass and metal causing Jack to flail in surprise and jump away. Rhys then raises the barrel to the side of his own head.

“What are you doing?” Jack asks, his entire body tensing at the sudden disturbing turn.

“Do you want me to die?”

“No,” Jack says without hesitation. “Put the gun down, kiddo.”

Rhys takes a step back and says, “The first time you met me, you tried to kill me.”

“Rhys, put the gun down,” Jack says, his voice shaking. _Dad, you're an asshole_.

“You tricked me into letting you into Hyperion's main frame and then you tried to kill me.”

“Do you want an apology?” Jack asks, analyzing every way he can imagine of getting the gun away from Rhys. “Fine. I'm sorry. That was a dick move and I regret it. Now drop the gun.”

“When I brought you back, the first thing you tried to do is kill me.”

Jack puts his hands up and feels himself near tears. His heart aching in terror. “Why are you doing this?”

“You stole a gun from my weapons department.”

“Stop it, Rhys!”

“You have been plotting every single weakness in Atlas security so you can flee and kill me in your wake.”

“No, I didn't want to . . . I just needed a back up plan.” _Dad, you're an asshole_.

“Just so you know: I have a will. If I die, the entire company goes to you. I cannot guarantee any of the workers will be happy but you will legally inherit my entire fortune including all properties, stock holdings, and position of CEO of Atlas. But if you want me dead, you will have to stop fucking around and do it yourself.”

Jack watches in sick horror as Rhys squeezes the trigger.

Nothing happens.

He squeezes again.

Jack knocks the pistol out of Rhys' hand, sending it flying across the room. He pulls Rhys into his arms , holding him tight. Jack does not even notice the tear running down his cheek.

Rhys begins to speak softly, his head resting on Jack's shoulder, “I never met you when you were alive. I spent years imagining what it would be like. I fantasized that we would run Hyperion together.”  
“Rhys . . .” Jack whispers.

“I wondered what it would be like to be indispensable to you. I wanted to be your equal.” Jack closes his eyes at Rhys' words. Rhys continues, “When you had me in your office to retrieve that piece for Gortys, you asked me what I wanted. Do you remember what I said?”

Jack thinks back to that fateful last day and replies, “You wanted to save Pandora.”

“That's right,” Rhys answers. “When I entered that vault, the Eridians, or at least I think it was Eridians, asked me the same thing. _What do you want?_ I asked to save Pandora. No, that's not right. I asked if _I_ could save Pandora. I wanted to be the hero that you weren't able to be. I said 'I want to save Pandora without hurting anybody.'”

Jack finally relents his grip on Rhys and pulls back enough to see his face. Rhys' real eye is wet with an unshed tear.

“They gave it to me, those tricky alien bastards,” Rhys grins bitterly. “They gave me everything I needed to be the hero. So now, _I_ am the only one that can possibly save this planet. Me, alone. I have the knowledge of exactly how to save Pandora and no one else can see it. I am the fucking hero. And you know what?”

“You're miserable,” Jack answers.

Rhys nods.

“You're alone.”

Rhys nods again and lets out a soft sob, “So alone. No one understands. No one can remotely grasp what the Eridians put inside me.” _Except you_ , the unspoken implication hanging in the air.

Jack lets go of Rhys and dejectedly sits on the edge of his bed.

Rhys kneels down in front of him and rests his hands on Jack's knees. “The Eridians never give their gifts for free. When you opened the Vault of the Sentinel, your mind was destroyed just as your face was scarred. Every inhibition, every sense of common decency was ripped away from you. They left you with nothing but the goal of saving Pandora through any means necessary. You became a monster.” _Dad, you're an asshole_.

All the events after the vault, the carnage he wreaked on Helios and Pandora, comes flooding into Jack's mind. He nods in agreement, “Maybe so. What did they take from you?” Jack asks as he wipes away the tear on Rhys' cheek.

“My life. I can never leave Pandora. I am on an endless mission to serve this planet until the day I die. I wanted to be a hero and that is all I will ever be,” Rhys says. He then chuckles humorlessly. “They even gave me an extra bonus. As the hero who will save _without hurting_ , I can never willfully harm any living creature on this planet.”

“Even yourself,” Jack finishes. Rhys nods in agreement.

“I tried. I really did. Years ago, when the company was just starting out, I took my first working gun model and went out into the wasteland. I eventually found a nest of spiderants. I held the gun up as one started charging me. I pulled the trigger and . . . nothing happened. I could only stand there knowing it would rip me to shreds. There was an odd part of me that was relieved. But right before getting to me, it exploded. Someone else had shot it dead.”

“Axton,” Jack says.

“That's right. He was a vault hunter, working for the Crimson Raiders. I never told him but I think the Eridian powers somehow _sent_ him to me. They wouldn't let me die. I asked him if he wanted a job and he agreed on the spot. I became the president, CEO, and hero that I was programmed to be.”

“Why bring me into this, Rhysie?” Jack asks without adding _why not ask Axton, your doting commander?_

“I thought if I could fix you, give you peace, get you away from your curse, if I could . . .”

“If you could fix me, you could fix yourself.”

“I'm lonely, Jack. I want company, but I can't have it. Not for long. You asked why I'm a slut, well men are easy. They don't ask questions, they don't stick around. So, I let man after man fuck me. Just for a moment, a fleeting moment, I can give up my control. I can let my guard down just that fraction. Once it's over, I am back to my mission. Never slowing, never pausing, never stopping.”

“Aw, baby.” Jack says and pulls Rhys up to sit beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Listen, fuck those alien assholes. We're going to make our own destiny, together.”

Jack softly kisses Rhys' neural port and runs his hand down the cybernetic arm.

“What can we do, Jack? We're just two cursed, broken cyborgs.”

Jack places a hand on Rhys' cheek and turn his face to his then runs his tongue against Rhys' mouth. He whispers, “We're two super hot, well-coiffed geniuses. We'll figure it out. First thing though, I have a favor to ask.” Rhys gives Jack a questioning look. “Make me feel human again.”

Rhys chuckles and replies, “That, I can gladly do.”

Rhys gazes into Jack's eyes and leans forward to press their lips together. He then stands up and pulls his tie from the collar of his shirt. While staring hungrily at Jack, he tosses the tie onto the bed. Jack grins widely and pulls his shirt off throwing it across the room. He follows the shirt with his pants and while maintaining Rhys' eye, jerks his growing length to full hardness. Rhys bites his bottom lip and makes a move for his belt.

“Nuh uh, princess. That's my job,” Jack says and lowers his voice to add, “Come here.”

Rhys obeys and steps forward so Jack can grasp his hips. His large hands travel back until they are kneading Rhys' firm buttocks. Rhys groans in approval and runs his hands through Jack's thick hair, leaning down to bring their lips together. He opens his mouth, welcoming Jack's questing tongue.

Jack unbuckles Rhys' belt without breaking the contact and opens his fly with expert efficiency. He slides Rhys out of his pants and and underwear then proceeds to rip open his shirt. Rhys begins to complain about the ruined garment but the words die in his mouth as Jack sucks roughly at his left nipple. He then moves to the right before tracing the blue tattoos with his tongue.

Rhys straddles Jack's laps and grinds their leaking cocks together. Jack feels himself nearly coming on the spot but refuses to allow anything premature. Never let it be said Handsome Jack neglects his lovers, but his sensitivity is so high he feels like a teenager. He firmly grips Rhys in his arms and stands then flips Rhys onto his back on the bed in one fluid movement. Rhys keeps his legs wrapped around Jack's waist, thrusting against him fiercely. Jack's kisses move to Rhys' neck and he nibbles on the young man's ear.

“Jack,” Rhys gasps breathlessly. “Jack, look at me.”

Jack brings a hand up to Rhys' cheek and gazes into the Rhys' mismatched irises. Rhys does not say anything but instead stares into Jack's face and smiles fondly. He places an oddly tender kiss to Jack's lips and whispers, “Thank you.”

Jack's heart skips a beat and he is momentarily lost in a feeling he hasn't had in ages. He then realizes he will not be able to last long enough to get inside Rhys so he settles for reaching between them and taking both of their cocks into his large hand. Jack comes first with Rhys immediately after. Jack collapses onto Rhys and rests his head against the man's thin chest. He laughs softly and says, “Oh cupcake, the things we are going to do together.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I’ve been traveling and also sex scenes always take me longer to write. I’ve put this out there before but if anyone is particularly good at PWP and would be interested in collaborating with someone overly obsessed with plot, let me know. I have ideas!


	9. Chapter 9

“Alright, princess. Our come is starting to glue our bodies together so I am feeling sufficiently human,” Jack murmurs against Rhys' neck. With one last kiss to Rhys' ear, Jack pushes up from the bed and rises to his feet, stretching his back.

Rhys remains on the bed and gazes up tenderly at Jack. He smiles and says, “Go ahead and shower. I'll head back over to mine. I can show you the bio-engineering lab afterward if you like.”

“Yeah, we _could_ do that,” Jack says then leans down and hauls Rhys into a fireman's carry over his shoulder. “See this new body you made me does not have my old back injury from college. I say we shower together and figure out what else you fixed for me.”

Jack deposits Rhys in the large shower of his bathroom and starts the water. He rinses himself efficiently and takes extra time shampooing his thick hair. Rhys watches the entire thing with a bemused smile and makes no move to wash. Jack sighs and begins to scrub down Rhys as well but stops when he remembers the cybernetic arm.

“Should I have taken that off first?”

Rhys shrugs and begins to detach it, “I usually take it off but its completely sealed so no moisture can get in.”

Once the arm is off, Rhys opens the shower door and carefully places it on the floor. When he turns back Jack resumes cleaning his slender body. Jack has fucked a couple of men before, most while in college, but he prefers women. He loves curves, slim waists, large breasts, and soft skin. Rhys has none of those things. Jack does not like how many of Rhys' ribs he can feel and decides he's going to work on that, but the man's body feels like absolute perfection when in his arms.

His roaming hands eventually abandon their cleaning task and focus on Rhys' delightfully tight ass. Despite having nothing Jack previously found attractive, Rhys' slim form is proving to be irresistible. Jack's finger wanders between Rhys' cheeks and gently skims his hole. As he begins to press in, Rhys lets out a soft moan bringing Jack from interested to fully hard.

“You like that, kitten?” Jack asks pushing harder, the tip of his finger barely breaching the tight ring of muscle.

Rhys rests his head on Jack's shoulder and reaches his hand down to stroke his cock.

“You're beautiful,” Jack murmurs and nips lightly at Rhys' neck.

“That's what they all say,” Rhys replies with a wink then lowers to his knees. His mismatched eyes gaze up at Jack as he begins kissing and licking at Jack's length. Jack cards a hand through Rhys' hair taking in the gorgeous sight. This is the point Jack would normally place his hand on the back of his partner's head and push his cock in as far as he can, but the thought never occurs to him with Rhys. He can only watch and moan as Rhys expertly takes him all the way to the root then hums sending vibrations throughout Jack's entire body. After what Jack considers to be another embarrassingly short time, he comes while in Rhys' mouth. Rhys keeps their gazes locked and swallows down every drop.

Jack pulls his softening dick from Rhys' mouth and runs his thumb along the man's red lips. “Cupcake, I am starting to see why you have such a devoted fan club.”

After the shower, Rhys wraps a towel around his waist and returns to his own room to dress. Jack throws on a pair of pants, boots, and a sweater then follows after, hoping to have the chance to choose Rhys' pants for the day.

When he enters, Rhys regrettably already has trousers on and an unbuttoned shirt but is stopped as he's listening to his echo.

“Mr. Katagawa is on the line and insisting he speak with you,” Jack can hear Ada say over the line.

“Ugh, not today. Please take a message,” Rhys groans.

“He has called five times in the last 12 hours.”

“Just tell him . . . I don't know. Tell him I'm dead.”

“Dead, sir?”

“Or sick, just be creative,” Rhys snaps and closes the echo.

“Katagawa? Isn't he the asshole from Maliwan?” Jack asks handing Rhys a fresh tie.

“This is Katagawa Junior. He took over as CEO last year after his father passed.”

“His _creepy_ son that was always lurking in meetings? Why's he echoing you at all hours?”

Rhys looks away and concentrates on buttoning his shirt.

“Rhysie . . .” Jack says accusingly. “Please tell me you didn't sleep with him.”

Rhys runs a hand through his still damp hair, “He's not creepy. He's just young and enthusiastic. When I met him he wasn't CEO yet, it was still his father.”

“If the creep is bothering you, just have him killed. I'm sure any of your _admirers_ would happily volunteer.” Thinking of Katagawa's son, Jack remembers wondering if the man had a growing collection of human skin luggage.

“Not a creep and I need Katagawa for a treaty I'm trying to get signed. We're in the middle of getting a galaxy-wide ban on slag weapons. Maliwan is one of the holdouts.”

“Of course they are. Elementals are their bread and butter.” While Jack hated all his competitors, he had a grudging respect for Maliwan's elemental tech. “They made a killing off slag weapons.”

“They did and that is why the board is vehemently opposed. However, Katagawa is willing to negotiate. I need him alive and happy to sign this treaty. Without him, it will not go through.”

“Why ban slag weapons? They kick ass.” _I spent a fortune basically inventing them_ , Jack thinks.

“They're incredibly toxic.”

“Yeah, that's kind of the point.”

“To the user. Anyone operating a slag weapon repeatedly exposes themselves to extremely high levels of eridium poisoning. Atlas stopping production on them is not enough and the treaty will only work if everyone agrees. Any companies not participating will have a virtual monopoly on the market.”

“Then just invite him over, suck his dick, and sweet talk him into signing,” Jack suggests but Rhys wrinkles his nose. “What?”

“He's really,” Rhys hesitates and sighs.

“He's what, pumpkin?” Jack goads.

Rhys finishes, “He's really fucking creepy.”

Jack chuckles, “Yeah he is. How'd he get control of Maliwan? Did he kill his old man?” _Skin him, turn him into a stylish travel tote?_

“Probably,” Rhys admits. “There's no solid proof but the story of his father ejecting _himself_ into space was a bit suspect.”

“You sure know how to pick 'em,” Jack chuckles earning himself a frown from Rhys. Jack shrugs, “So you like your men violent and unhinged. I'm not here to kink shame.”

“You do realize that includes you, right?”

“Don't I know it. I told you, I like the new slutty Rhys. If you ask nicely, after the treaty is signed, I will personally put a bullet through little Katagawa's slimy head.”

“No, you won't.”

“Are you that confident your benevolence is rubbing off on me?”

“No, but I'm confident in my coding ability. I coded the murderous instincts out when I reversed the mental effects of _your_ eridium poisoning.”

“Okay, you've mentioned that twice now. _Eridium poisoning_. I'm pretty sure you're making that term up. Granted, yes, slag is toxic as fuck when in direct contact with a human body, but I never had any side effects from pure eridium and I handled it for ten years. Besides, I hired the best scientists and medical researchers in the universe. Every one of my health checks came back with perfect results.”

“The damage from eridium was never able to be recorded before. There was slag research but humans did not have the ability to study the effect eridium had on mental and physical health. We had to invent an entirely new type of measurement and detection system. Eridium has seeped into every part of Pandora including flora, fauna, soil, and water. Every single living thing on Pandora has been mutated from eridium poisoning. Luckily-”

“You know how to fix it.”

“I know how to fix it.”

Rhys finishes with his tie as Jack waits for him to continue. He finally stamps his foot and says, “Well are you going to tell me how you fixed Pandora and my entire AI of from this _eridium poisoning_ or am I just supposed to guess?”

“We're going to go to bio-engineering and I'll be able to show you.”

“Speaking of bio-engineering and coding, did you also program me with an increased interest in cock? I'm an experienced man, I've sampled in the past but this,” Jack gestures to Rhys, “is new.”

“Nope, that's all you. At this point, your body has the sensitivity of a boy at the height of puberty. Once you settle into yourself and exist around people other than me, you'll be back to your womanizing ways.” Rhys turns away after saying this so he can put on his shoes, but Jack thinks he catches the faintest hint of sadness in his face.

 

 

 

Bio-engineering proves to be the most secure department in Atlas. All guards are heavily armed and positioned every ten feet. The first checkpoint involves a palm print, retinal scan, and facial recognition ID. The next checkpoint is a full body scan testing for explosives, weaponry, and recording devices. Jack is asked to hand over his echo device. The guard is not happy about Jack's pocket-watch but Rhys overrides the objections on the grounds that he is entering with the CEO. The third checkpoint involves a decontamination chamber allowing only one person at a time.

Rhys enters first. While the chamber is performing its sweep of Rhys, the guard stares at Jack with a decidedly unfriendly look on his face. Jack, still not used to someone as menial as a security guard giving him attitude, decides to rub it in. “I don't think the contamination thing is needed.”

“And why is that, kid?”

“Rhys and I just got out of the shower so we should be pretty clean already.”

The guard's scowl deepens as the buzzer goes off alerting them the chamber is ready. Jack smirks and steps into the chamber presenting his middle finger through the glass. When he exits, Rhys is waiting on the other side having witnessed the entire encounter.

He raises an eyebrow, “Is it that hard to not be a dick to my employees?”

“Yes, yes it is. Especially when they all hate me and are not the least bit afraid of what I'll do to them.”

Before Rhys can reply, they are interrupted by a tight, official voice coming over the intercom, “Rhys, we have much to discuss and do not have time for pleasantries. Proceed directly to my office.”

“Is that . . .” Jack asks as he points to the ceiling.

“Dr. Patricia Tannis, the head of bio-engineering. She is the leading expert on eridium research in the galaxy.”

“And not exactly a fan of mine,” Jack whispers as he remembers destroying one of the chairs she was so enamored with.

“That is why you are going to say as little as possible,” Rhys whispers back. “Out of everyone in this company, she is the only person who knows enough about my research to figure out what I can actually do with it.”

Jack realizes this is the first time he has seen Rhys actually nervous since returning. His anxious gulps and his flesh hand twitching remind Jack of the young company man from five years before. Before Rhys can buzz the door at Tannis' office, she opens the door and says while pacing, “Rhys, I realize you are running Atlas as humanely as possible and while I greatly admire your compassionate tactics, the rats must go.”

“Dr. Tannis, we have discussed-”

“Patricia. You are to call me Patricia. I have earned my doctorate and a number of PhDs and am far and away your intellectual superior, but I consider you my colleague. As colleagues, you will address me by my first name as I address you by yours. The rat problem is unsustainable and the only option is extermination. Commander Axton, while a cretin in terms of science, is undoubtedly a sharp-minded military strategist. The commander agrees that the rats pose too great a risk to the general population.”

“Once we have a cure-”

“There is no cure, Rhys. I have worked for you now nearly four years and with our combined knowledge we would have sussed out a cure if it exists, but sadly it does not.”

Dr. Tannis is clothed in a clean white lab coat, safety goggles hanging around her neck. She has gray beginning to streak through her short hair but otherwise looks nearly the same as she used to. Unsurprisingly, she has not taken notice of Jack.

Rhys continues, “We have the vaccine in development and within the year it should be ready for human trials.”

“Yes, but as you well know, a vaccine is not a cure. I will ultimately respect your decision but I would remiss if I did not provide you with the honest truth.”

Rhys bites his lip and nods, “I appreciate that. Let me think about it and I'll provide you with a definite answer by the end of the week.”

Tannis nods in agreement and her eyes wander to Jack for the first time. “What is this, Rhys? Why have you brought a boy in here?”

“He's an intern,” Rhys answers.

“Rhys, while I understand the necessity of internships in higher education, I am far too busy to allow any distractions to my work an intern may provide.”

“No, he's my intern.”

“Your intern?” Tannis says with a hint of suspicion. She carefully eyes Jack, her mind running overdrive. At last, she nods and says, “That's very generous of you Rhys. I assume he is a _business_ student.” The word business drips with obvious disdain.

“Yes, he is shadowing me for a couple of weeks.”

“Well, there is a matter of grave importance I must discuss with you. Your student will have to shadow outside my office while we speak. I will have one of the assistants show him around.”

Rhys turns to Jack and says, “Kevin, please wait out in the lobby while we speak. I'll be out in a few minutes.”

For lack of anything else to do, Jack nods and backs out of Tannis' office. He wanders the corridor until

he finally finds a room containing humans. There are six of them sitting in recliner chairs. Each person has a complex IV connected to their arm that is in turn connected to a machine the size of a filing cabinet. One of the patients is dressed as a bandit and appears to be mostly sedated and is bound to his chair.

A very tall man with patchy hair and scars on his visible skin is wearing a white lab coat. He spots Jack and smiles widely as he approaches.

“Dr. Tannis sent me out to meet you. Are you here to start treatment today?”

“Hmm? No, I'm an intern. I'm waiting for my . . . I'm an intern.”

“That's exciting. You're going to love Atlas. Best place in the borderlands to study bio-engineering. The only place to study eridium.”

“What's going on in there?” Jack asks as he points to the window.

“Ah. That is a treatment for eridium poisoning. We have centers all over Pandora open for treatment. We've experimented over the years but current technology only requires five days of three-hour sessions. A lot more pleasant than what I went through but I was one of the first massively infected people to undergo treatment. They were still working things out.”

Jack jerks his head back to the nurse abruptly and looks him over, “Are you saying you were a . . .”

“Psycho? Yes, I was. Buzzaxe and everything. I'm not even from Pandora originally. My husband and I were bounty hunters. Were pretty good at it. Had a job that brought us to Pandora. My hubby, he didn't want to go but I talked him into it. He was the brains of the operation, the smart one. I was the muscle. Our target was a Hyperion exec running an eridium mining operation. While apprehending him, I was winged with a slag weapon. We were both fine but I came down with a bout of the skull shivers. Hyperion eventually caught up to us and dragged us off to their slag experimentation facility.”

Jack feels the first pangs of something he hadn't felt in a long time: guilt. The man continues, “My husband, bless him, he begged for them to let me go. Even when he was hemorrhaging to death, he still only plead for my well-being,” he stops, a tear welling in his eye. He brushes it away and continues. “I don't remember exactly when he died but they had to sedate me to finally take his body away. I would've died in there too but this doctor, she went by the name Sammy, broke me out. We made it for four days before bandits got us. Sammy died but I was able to fight my way out. I kept fighting, alone, delirious, screaming as I continued to forget who I even was. I came into contact with a group of vault hunters. With them, I took down Handsome Jack and stopped Hyperion from destroying the entire planet.”

Jack briefly closes his eyes and asks despite already knowing the answer, “What's your name?”

“My old name, I don't like thinking about that so I just go by Krieg.”

“Rhys cured you,” Jack answers more to himself as it sinks in that Rhys' has the knowledge and power no one else in galaxy possesses.

“He did. My vault hunter friends helped him find me. I nearly killed him but he reached out to me and found a place I thought was gone forever,” Krieg answers fondly, a blush rising on his scarred face. “After he cured me, I promised I'd follow him anywhere. He offered me a job doing whatever I wanted to do at Atlas. I asked to help to fix other psychos, bandits, and nomads. Sadly, we can't do anything for the rats. That's a virus, not eridium. It just horrifies Rhys that he can't help them. If I were a doctor, I'd love to find a cure for him.”

“What happens to the, um, other people Atlas cures?”

“They're offered jobs, a place to live or money and transportation off world. Most of them were miners brought on by Dahl. Some of them choose to go home but most have been away for too long and don't think they have place left to return to. Besides, most want to stay so they can help Rhys.”

“He's an . . . inspiring figure,” Jack replies. “So what is going on with the eridium poisoning? I've only been here a couple of days and I haven't heard much about this part.”

Krieg brightens and brings up a console on the wall. He displays an animation of the human body and purple running through the circulatory system. “Eridium infiltrates the bloodstream but cannot be filtered by the liver or the kidneys.”

Jack nods as he recalls a Hyperion scientist implying eridium was too dangerous and they would have to restructure their entire operation. Jack wonders if he should have listened to him and not ejected him directly into space. “This eridium poisoning, what are the symptoms?”

“Because it cannot ever be filtered out naturally, the damage from eridium exposure is cumulative. The first noticeable symptoms include a lack of impulse control, lowered critical thinking skills, paranoia, and violent outbursts.”

Those symptoms are all too familiar for Jack. He wonders if perhaps Rhys really was able to code those side effects out of his AI.

Krieg continues on, “The next stage involves physical mutations such as rapid muscle growth and involuntary vocal outbursts. Extreme exposure results in grotesque body transformations as seen in what Pandorans call goliaths and psychos.” Krieg finishes by gesturing to himself. “Rhys offered reconstructive surgery but I turned it down. I'm a new person now and going back to how I was before just isn't going to happen. Besides, if someone like Rhys can still find me, um, not unattractive then I think I'm doing alright.”

“Why all the security for this wing?” Jack asks trying very hard not to picture Rhys bedding a former psycho.

“Eridium is the rarest element in the galaxy and Rhys, being the only person with a vault key, has complete control over it in it's purest form. There is enough slag and runoff to still cause problems, but refined eridium is solely controlled by Atlas,” Krieg answers as he directs Jack down a hallway. They come to a set of doors but before opening them, Krieg takes a pair of shaded safety goggles from the wall and hands them to Jack. While Jack stares at them in confusion, Krieg places another pair over his own eyes.

“This is the observation wing and while we should be completely safe, direct unprotected viewing of eridium is still not recommended.”

Jack shrugs and puts his own pair on. Krieg opens the doors and closes them once they are inside. Before them is a three-story glass enclosure surrounding a massive lab with liquid eridium flowing through machines giving out a constant stream of data. The entire wing is bathed in an ominous purple glow.

“So what does Atlas do with the eridium?” Jack asks, his eyes never leaving the flowing substance.

“You really are green. Atlas makes its fortune with eridium power cores. They are the most powerful, longest lasting energy sources known to man.”

“They're made here?”

“Oh no. There's a highly secluded facility on Pandora manned entirely by robots. Rhys does not let anyone living come into contact with eridium. It's location is only known by a few scientists in this department and the higher-ups in the Crimson Lance.”

Krieg continues with his tour and enthusiastically explains everything he knows about eridium and it's effects on the human body. Despite being kind and friendly, Jack is still intimidated by his massive form and rippling muscles. Somewhere deep down, Jack knew what he was doing to Dr. Samuels and people like Krieg and his husband was abhorrent but at the time he did not care. There was nothing more important than power. Even when he began injecting Angel . . . using eridium on people, Jack could always justify it as a means to an end.

Once they've made it completely around the eridium enclosure, Jack sees Rhys just inside the doorway staring into the purple abyss. He eyes are dark and his face is troubled. Jack notices yet again that the tattoo on his neck appears to be glowing. Krieg practically runs the last few meters between them but stops short of wrapping his arms around his boss.

Rhys looks up and forces a smile onto his face. He reaches out his cybernetic hand to shake Krieg's hand and tenderly places his flesh hand on top. “Dr. Tannis told me about your promotion. You have made yourself indispensable here. There are no words for how much I owe you.”

Surprised sounds come from Krieg but he cannot seem to form a coherent response. Rhys continues, “Dr. Tannis would like you to return to her office.”

Krieg nods and awkwardly backs out through the doorway having completely forgotten about Jack. Rhys returns his gaze to the eridium for several more moments then finally looks at Jack. “I'm sure Krieg was able to explain the eridium poisoning. He's very bright.”

“He's certainly a fan of yours,” Jack answers.

“I wasn't flattering him before, I really do owe him more than anyone knows. Without him volunteering for treatment, it would have taken years to refine the process. Tannis gave him a 5% chance of making it out alive. If eridium is removed from the body too fast, internal organs will begin shutting down since they have come to rely on the substance as almost a form of nutrition,” Rhys explains.

“Yes, he covered that all extensively. I do have one question though,” Jack says and steps closer to softly ask. “When you _fucked_ Krieg the Psycho did you do it before or after he was cured of his psycho state?”

Rhys bites his bottom lip and looks down. He answers softly, “Both.”

Jack fights to hold back the frustrated yell and nods. He tightly says, “For however long we are . . . together. Can we make it a rule that you don't screw anyone else?”

Rhys looks up, confusion blooming in his face, “You want to be exclusive?”

“For lack of a better word, yes. I've never been one to share and I especially don't want to share now knowing the, um, people I would be sharing with.”

Rhys gives a small smile and nods, “Okay. For the rest of the time you're here, no one else.”

 


End file.
